Ain't That Funny

Jimmy Justice was a British pop singer who made only one chart hit in America: "When My Little Girl Is Smiling," which went all the way to number 127 in 1962. In other words, he was mainly an overseas phenomenon. In his defense, his American hit had to compete with an already-established version by the Drifters that was released earlier the same year. Ain't That Funny is a two-disc set with 50 of Justice's Pye recordings (including "When My Little Girl Is Smiling") from 1960-1965. Justice's style contains elements of soul and traditional pop, very much like Bobby Darin. Many of his recordings are covers of American hits made for the British audience, drawn from diverse sources in the country, pop, and R&B fields. The anthology takes its name from one of Justice's biggest U.K. hits, a British composition that was picked up by Kapp for American release. It didn't chart here despite favorable reviews, but did well enough to earn Justice a few releases in the States, some of which were recorded specifically for the American market. Ain't That Funny offers a generous and affordable in-depth look at one of England's early pop stars. ~ Greg Adams|