Hits Of Judy Garland Review

07/13/2005 5:32 AM, AMG


After becoming the model for many acting and singing superstars during World War II, Judy Garland made her way through the '50s and '60s battling drugs, making comebacks, and doing a bit of television. Her big return to the limelight, of course, came with the release of the bravura Judy at Carnegie Hall record. This was during her 1957-1965 stretch at Capitol Records, a time when Garland's voice was still in fine form and sporting the beneficial affects of years in the singing business; the gratuitous enthusiasm of the '30s and '40s had been replaced by a burnished tone and some well-heeled phrasing. This 20-track Capitol roundup proves the point with a strong mix of updated chestnuts like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and some fine Latinized versions of "I Concentrate on You" and "Old Devil Moon" (Lena Horne's Lena Goes Latin comes to mind). Other highlights include "Down With Love," "Little Girl Blue," and "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe." From cabaret ballad drama to frenetic big band swingers, Judy Garland revels in her golden prime on this classic collection. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide