The second Boswell Sisters anthology of Brunswick sides, covering the years 1932-1933, may not seem as substantial as its predecessor, but that's an illusion that's quickly dispelled in the listening. The collection starts off with their Dorsey Brothers-accompanied rendition of "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane," in which the trio's vocal acrobatics spar delightfully with Bunny Berigan's trumpet. It's a promising beginning to a delightful collection that's not only great listening but excellent dance music -- this reviewer's ...
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The second Boswell Sisters anthology of Brunswick sides, covering the years 1932-1933, may not seem as substantial as its predecessor, but that's an illusion that's quickly dispelled in the listening. The collection starts off with their Dorsey Brothers-accompanied rendition of "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane," in which the trio's vocal acrobatics spar delightfully with Bunny Berigan's trumpet. It's a promising beginning to a delightful collection that's not only great listening but excellent dance music -- this reviewer's foot was tapping to "Sleep, Come on and Take Me," and "Down Among the Sheltering Palms" is an astounding multi-part, almost conceptual number. Alternating between collaborations with the Dorseys and the leaner support of Dick McDonough's guitar and Artie Bernstein's string bass (sometimes joined by Martha Boswell's piano), with Berigan, McDonough, Manny Klein, and the Dorseys stepping out in front instrumentally in tandem with the trio's vocals, the sounds vary more than sufficiently to make this a well-nigh perfect 15-song collection, without any problem of repetition, and the sound is superb. The annotation covers the trio in general terms, focusing too little on the music at hand, but that's a minor flaw in a collection as delightful as this. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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