The Very Best Of Dean Martin

In retrospect, it seems curious that Dean Martin first rose to fame as part of a comedy team, since he was one of the strongest and most distinctive male vocalists of his generation, a singer whose casual style often belied his gifts as a song stylist. Martin first hit the big time in partnership with Jerry Lewis in the late '40s, but when the duo split up, Martin soon proved he was perfectly capable of winning a loyal audience on his own, and after a long and successful tenure with Capitol Records, in 1962 Martin signed with Reprise Records, the label founded by his friend and colleague Frank Sinatra. The Very Best of Dean Martin is a collection of some of Dino's most memorable sides from his tenure with Reprise, where he scored some of his biggest hits (including "Everybody Loves Somebody," which was a big enough hit in 1964 to dethrone the Beatles from the top of the singles charts). While not a complete overview of Martin's career, since it lacks his hits for Capitol, The Very Best of Dean Martin is an engaging look at some of the finest moments from the second act of his recording career. ~ Mark Deming|