Accompanying the likes of Tony Bennett and Vera Lynn on the list of golden oldies to recently grace the top end of the charts, Hollywood legend Doris Day continues to prove that age is no barrier to Top Ten success with her first album in 17 years, My Heart. Like 1994's The Love Album, her 29th studio effort was recorded well before she retired from show business, with four tracks selected from her '50s/'60s heyday and eight numbers originally used as background segments for her mid-'80s TV show, Doris Day's Best Friends, but is now only seeing the light of day after being sanctioned by the Calamity Jane actress herself. The likes of "My One and Only Love," which featured on 1962's André Previn collaboration Duet, "My Buddy," which she performed in the 1951 film I'll See You In My Dreams, and a rendition of Broadway standard "Ohio" showcase Day at her most sensual, carefree, and sincere. But the more recent numbers show that she still possessed an innate charm, sophistication, and timelessness well into her late fifties/early sixties, as evident on the subtle piano bar arrangement of Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful," the breezy interpretation of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream," and the lushly romantic cover version of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever's "Hurry, It's Lovely Up Here." However, it's the four original compositions, penned by her late son Terry Melcher and the Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston, that will spark the most intrigue, and although the easy listening ballads "My Heart" and "Happy Endings" (the latter, performed by Melcher himself, featuring a spoken word tribute from Day) descend into schmaltz, the smoky and seductive jazz-pop of "The Way I Dreamed It" and the melodic Carpenters-esque MOR of "Heaven Tonight" show that she was certainly capable of tackling more contemporary material. A delightful treasure trove for fans of the silver screen icon, My Heart is an effortlessly classy collection that thankfully avoids tainting her legacy.
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