Consumer Guide Album

Nilsson: A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night [RCA Victor, 1973]
The "Schm" is for schmaltz, to which this is a tribute--the selections, none of which were written after 1958, include "For Me and My Gal" and "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now." Theoretically, this is a charming idea--who among us is better equipped to bring such music back to life? Actually, it's soporific--devoid of humor or irony but without any rediscovery of the whole-hearted emotion on which the old songs are predicated. Nilsson doesn't sing with much power and Gordon Jenkins's charts don't even qualify as period pieces. I know, I'm just a dumb rock and roll fan, so go waste your money. I wouldn't give my extra copy to my mother. C-