Ultra Lounge Presents – Vegas Baby

Ooh! A new song by Big Bad Cherry Poppin’ Daddies! That’s Šum “Money!”
Give it up, you pseudo-nouveau hipsters.
THIS is the real stuff!
From Jack Jones (you know- the guy who sang “Love Boat”?) to Tom Jones (he covered Prince’s “Kiss” back in the 90s) to Bobby Darin (he- nevermind), this latest set in the award-winning Ultra-Lounge series does the city of sin justice. Double shots of Louis Prima (King Louie from “The Jungle Book,” ok?), Count Basie and Tony Bennett and “Mr. Vegas” (that’s Wayne Newton, in case you didn’t know) make the album all the sweeter and more consistent.

Nat King Cole’s “Shootin’ High” is as peppy as the city itself and Steve Lawrence’s “Night and the Day” sets the time for 24-hour fun. As for the ladies? Nothing less than Judy Garland, Peggy Lee and Keely Smith. The one major missing element is the lack of the otherwise overwhelming presence of The Chairman (Francis Albert Sinatra, got it?). But with a supporting cast that includes Sammy (Davis, Jr.), Dean (Martin) and even a wisp of The Velvet Fog (Mel Torme) performing a funked-up version of “The Games People Play,” like Lady Luck herself, this hip disc is definitely worth a spin. – Matthew S. Robinson
c. 2002, M. S. Robinson, ARR