Mel Tormé and Cleo Laine
When Laine sings in the title song (lifted from Broadway's City of Angels and fitted with new lyrics for this album), "You're velvet and I'm merely fog," it's hard to disagree. Her deep, smoky voice sounds frayed and mannered, notably in numbers like "I Wish I Were in Love Again" and "I Thought About You," while Tormé's vocal equipment and style seem to grow more burnished with time.
In fairness, Laine isn't always outclassed. The duo's rendition of Neil Hefti's finger-snapping "Girl Talk," sung almost totally in vocalese, is a triumph for both, as is "Angel Eyes." And there can be no cavil about the sharp, crisp arrangements by Laine's husband. John I Dankworth, or about Tormé's moiling arrangement of "Isn't It a Pity." Isn't it a pity he didn't sing it all himself? (Concord)
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