Greatest Hits of the 50's

Photographer: Don Hunstein.
This set collects Tony Bennett's very first hits, starting with his blusteringly exuberant "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" from 1950 and including his haunting re-reading of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart" from a year later in 1951, as well as other gems from the '50s like his somber and stunning version of "The Party's Over." Bennett refined his singing somewhat in later years, relying less on force and more on phrasing and nuance as time went on, but the sheer joy of singing evident in these selections is very much a Bennett trademark. This is where it all started. ~ Steve Leggett