Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook

Performer: Bette Midler
Artist: Barry Manilow; Linda Ronstadt
Producer: Barry Manilow; Robbie Buchanan
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Bette Mildler (vocals); Barry Manilow, Linda Ronstadt (vocals); Dean Parks, George Doering, Michael Thompson (guitar); Herb Pederson (banjo); Kenny Blackwell (mandolin); Randy Waldman, Steve Welch (piano); Robbie Buchanon (keyboards, bass, drums); Chuck Berghofer (bass); Gregg Field, Vinnie Calaiuta (drums); Beverly Staunton, Hans Stamer, Warren Stanyer, David Steele (background vocals). Recorded at Sony Music Studios, Culver City, California; The Hop, Studio City, California; Schnee Studios, North Hollywood, California. Includes liner notes by Bette Midler, Barry Manilow. SINGS THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY SONGBOOK was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Cabaret icon Bette Midler reunites with her old piano partner Barry Manilow for the first time in over 30 years to toast one of their mutual idols on Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook. Clooney was one of the top jazz/pop vocalists of the '50s whose clear, bright tone, impeccable melodicism, and smiling, girl-next-door image came together to make classics out of tunes like "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" and "Hey There" -- both covered here. In that tradition, Midler's plucky blonde persona and genre-crossing style and Manilow's modern day blend of Mercer and Porter make this album work -- most of the time. Mostly what you get is the Divine Miss M and "Mister Manila," as Midler affectionately refers to Manilow, returning to their '70s New York roots on "On a Slow Boat to China," a solid and classy version of "Sisters" with Linda Ronstadt taking the Betty Clooney role, and a very Dixie Chicks-esque contemporary bluegrass reworking of "This Ole House." Least of all, you get limp, hip-hop-lite arrangements of "Come On-A My House" and "Mambo Italiano," which only serve to drain the songs of any swing and makes the twee-period lyrics all the more cloying. Nonetheless, Midler -- who can carry a tune on personality alone -- sounds elegant and alive here and Manilow's classy orchestral arrangements frame the proceedings with the urbane glow of nostalgia for a time -- be it the '50s or the '70s -- when a big band, a great song, and blonde with a nice voice were all you needed for a good time. ~ Matt Collar Bette Midler occupies a unique place in the world of pop vocalists; she's recorded in so many styles (blowsy rockers, glossy pop ballads, intimate cabaret) that she's impossible to pigeonhole. So it's not such a shock to find her reaching back to an earlier era of pop singing for THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY SONGBOOK. In paying tribute to her beloved Clooney, Midler engages the services of none other than MOR icon Barry Manilow as arranger, a role he played for her before embarking on his solo career. This is far from a by-the-numbers stroll through the Clooney catalog, though. Midler and Manilow dip into smooth jazz ("Come On-A My House"), boogie-woogie ("On a Slow Boat to China"), Americana ("This Ole House"), and orchestrated jazz ("Hey There") among other modes, introducing these Clooney-associated tunes to a whole new generation.

Honolulu-born Bette Midler's flamboyant stage persona, born in the 1970s (though she had been singing professionally in the 1960s), is what makes people take notice, but the self-proclaimed Divine Miss M is more than a singing comedienne. In addition to being a skilled TV and film actress, she's also a canny interpreter of pop and novelty songs in a multitude of genres, some ranging back as far as the Jazz Age. She's tackled everything from the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden" to an album's worth of Rosemary Clooney-associated tunes with equal aplomb, and has made a splash on the silver screen many times (THE ROSE, SCENES FROM A MALL, BEACHES, and numerous others).

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