 Mario Lanza Until the ascent of Andrea Bocelli, the world had scarcely seen a male vocalist as shamelessly overblown as Mario Lanza. Widely dismissed by classical music purists, Lanza has nonetheless managed to remain one of the century's most beloved tenors, and that's not limited to the grandparent community, as evidenced by his unusual canonization in the film Heavenly Creatures. Mario Lanza has a hipness to him that has evaded the likes of Pavarotti and Domingo, even though Lanza showed no more taste in his repertoire than the more recent tenors have (although I suppose Mario never recorded with Bryan Adams or Sheryl Crow, as Pavarotti has). It's difficult to pinpoint what about Mario Lanza is so appealing: is it the tragic early death (reportedly a mob-induced heart attack)? The "classic" stature afforded to virtually anyone who starred in a Hollywood movie in the 50s? Could it be simply the voice? Any of those things is likely, but in all honesty the voice is a pretty amazing thing. As technically proficient as Caruso or any of the century's other great tenors, Lanza utilized his voice in an almost Elvis-like manner of calculated emotionality that whipped his fans into a frenzy. The Italian movie-star good looks certianly couldn't have hurt, either. But how does the music hold up, myth and legend aside? So-so. Like the bulk of major-label vocal recordings from the '40s and '50s, Lanza's RCA Victor sides suffer from sappy-ass Hollywood over-orchestration and those miserable background vocal groups that would appear on his and Bing Crosby's records for no reason that makes any sense in the 21st century. Here's a great idea: you have a phenomenal vocalist in the studio … why not have a chorale sing a verse and have Mario sit out? Can't give the people too much of a good thing. Be My Love collects most of Lanza's big hits from the '50s: "Be My Love," "With a Song in My Heart," "Funiculi, Funicula," "O Sole Mio," "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life," "Ave Maria," "You'll Never Walk Alone" … 24 tracks in all, each plagued by the same bombastic orchestrations but strenghthened by Lanza's voice, which can be an amazing thing. His emotional projection is forceful (and fake), with some of the strongest belted-out high notes you'll ever hear ending virtually every song. "Gotta finish big, kid," someone must have told him. The requisite "favorites" are included: "Danny Boy," "Look For the Silver Lining" (play this one back to back with the Chet Baker version for a hearty laugh) "Arrivederci, Roma." The label has hit every emotional touchstone to draw in: everyone over 65, all Italians, most Irish folks, and many devout Catholics. (By contrast, I estimate that in the course of my career I have done approximately as much to alienate each of those groups, especially those damn over-65'ers!) I haven't heard this much heartstring-pulling since my grandfather's funeral. So do I like it? Mostly, yes. "Be My Love" is a phenomenal performance, and the closing two tracks, "Ave Maria" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" are as good as it gets. The remainder is somewhat samey, but overall very enjoyable if you're in the right mood. I do wish there were a way to turn off the violins, though. Hopefully Sony is working on a CD player that will be able to isolate the components of recorded sound and allow you to customize the output. My version of Be My Love would have Mario fronting a quartet with Stanley Turrentine on tenor sax, Erroll Garner on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Closing my eyes, I'd be able to envision Mario Lanza as actually having been as cool as I want him to be.
Review by Lucas Soy-Latte |