Matt Monro (2)

MATT MONRO - THESE YEARS (1967)

01. There's A Kind Of Hush
02. Release Me
03. Don't Sleep In The Subway
04. What To Do
05. The Happening
06. These Years
07. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
08. Music To Watch Girls By
09. Here, There And Everywhere
10. Spanish Eyes
11. Nobody Cares For Me

MATT MONRO - HERE'S TO MY LADY (1966)

1. When Joanna Loved Me
2. Real Live Girl
3. When Sunny Gets Blue
4. Laura
5. People
6. Here's To My Lady
7. The Good Life
8. You've Got Possibilities
9. Rain Sometimes
10. Sweet Talkin' Hannah
11. Nina Never Knew

Here's to My Lady essentially replicates the winning formula of the previous This Is the Life, and why fix what isn't broken? Reuniting Matt Monro with arranger Sid Feller, the album is as mature and comfortable as the cardigan sweater the crooner wears on its cover--Monro's vocals are smooth and rich like crushed velvet, tackling standards like "Laura," "When Sunny Gets Blue" and "When Joanna Loved Me" with a thoughtfulness that comes only with age and experience. Few crooners are so effortless yet so precise, and Feller's lovely arrangements further enhance the elegance of Monro's approach--when you've exhausted the Sinatra canon, this is where to go next. (Reissued on CD on an EMI Gold twofer alongside the aforementioned This Is the Life.) ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide