On
Friendly Persuasion,
Ray Conniff, with the help of his orchestra and chorus, interprets a variety of songs with brassy arrangements that at times include trombone solos played by
Conniff himself.
Conniff experimented with new stereo setups on this album, and they are briefly addressed in his sleeve notes. The chorus is wielded exclusively as an instrument on this outing -- there are none of the
Mitch Miller-style singalongs heard on many of
Conniff's other albums. The title track and "April Love" are associated with
Pat Boone, but from there the repertoire moves in unusual directions, from "High Noon" to the
Original Dixieland Jazz Band's "Tiger Rag." Despite his undeserved reputation as a purveyor of Muzak,
Ray Conniff's LPs covered a lot of ground and were not all aimed at the same market.
Friendly Persuasion is for fans of orchestral pop and wide stereo recordings, and for those who prefer the trademark wordless vocals with which
Conniff is identified.