 Ann-Margaret Sounding as though she must be kidding, Ann-Margaret managed to sustain a pretty successful recording career based entirely on her looks. That's beautiful. As far as dubious celebrity vocalists go, I'd rank her among the most enjoyable. Her records seem to have a built-in camp value that assures me she was in on the joke too. Let Me Entertain You compiles 21 "sexy hits" which range from the insufferable "Bye Bye Birdie" to the triumphant "Thirteen Men," with lots of Marilyn Monroe-meets-Eartha Kitt in between. In fact, on some of the tunes she demonstrates a surprisingly good voice (if no control whatsoever). And there's definitely something to be said for a performer who advocates going on a "hugging binge," right? On the ballads, she's sultry and showy, and on the rockers she's wayward and full of attitude. Star power goes a long way, though: Ann-Margaret is an undeniable presence even on things like "There'll Be Some Changes Made," on which she sounds like Chet Baker just after getting his teeth kicked in. A lot of this falls into that "lounge" category, but don't let a bunch of preening so-called hipsters keep you away from Ann-Margaret's luscious mood music. I'm actually overstating her incompetence, as most of the material here is really quite fun and good. Whether she's attacking an Elvis-style Elvis song, or ripping off Peggy Lee (Eartha Kitt, Helen Merrill, Ethel Merman, etc) she does it with the same awkward likablilty as the popular girl who can't sing but does anyway. Wow, that comparison was pretty inventive. For fans of '50s teen idol pop, sexy redheads, or "camp classics." Speaking of Camp Classics, I've been thinking of going back to see if it's still the same. So many glorious summers ! oh, heck, never mind.
Review by Jo Jo Poisonous |