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Critic's Review
William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Bobby Short's third and fourth Atlantic Records albums, Speaking of Love and Sing Me a Swing Song, were both released in 1958, so there is justice in pairing them on this CD two-fer. But the two LPs took distinctly different approaches. Speaking of Love, a concept album of optimistic love songs, found Short's voice and piano backed by bass and drums in what was virtually a recreation of his nightclub act. And Short acted like he was in a nightclub, too, giving bravura performances of a repertoire of sophisticated show tunes. Sing Me a Swing Song, on the other hand, had more varied musical backing. Eight of the 14 songs used a ten- or 11-piece band consisting of six or seven horns and a rhythm section, and another four featured a five-piece unit in which Don Elliott added a variety of single instruments including trumpet, trombone, and vibes. The song selection also was more varied, including everything from bluesy Duke Ellington songs to the Marx Brothers novelty "Lydia." Here, Short was able to sing in a more restrained manner much of the time, blending more into the fuller arrangements. So, as a combined listening experience, the two-fer will blow the listener back early on, with the force of Short's enthusiasm, then draw the listener back with the often more subtle colors of the small big band sound on the later tracks.
