Magic of Alma Cogan

Twenty-five songs in Cogan's career, starting with her first hit, "Bell Bottom Blues," a Doris Day-style pop novelty number that got to number four in England in 1954, and ending with her last charting single, "Cowboy Jimmy Joe," six years later. Cogan had a big-voiced delivery that made her suitable for those kind of songs, as well as softer ballads like "Little Things Mean a Lot," which became her second hit in 1955, getting to number 11 in England. She sounded joyful and intense, always seemingly with a laugh in her voice (a notion that became part of her publicity), even when she sang quietly. Cogan's background was in '40s and '50s pop music, with no real feeling for early, R&B-based rock & roll, although she had a strong enough voice to make a convincing case for a pop music version of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," which charted in the mid-'20s in England just at the time that the original by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers was topping the charts. "Sugartime" and "Cheek to Cheek" are more Cogan's speed at this time in her career, and there is a beguiling cheerfulness in her singing that gets infectious as you listen to her. The sound is excellent on this 1997 edition, but the notes could have been more complete, and should have included recording dates, and session and chart information. ~ Bruce Eder