Billie Anthony, the Atomic Blonde Bombshell from Scotland, was an aggressively upbeat pop singer similar to the American artists she covered, particularly Georgia Gibbs, Teresa Brewer, and Betty Johnson. Her only hit was a version of "This Ole House" that gave Rosemary Clooney stiff competition in the U.K., but her recording career spanned the better part of a decade and resulted in the release of 22 singles on England's Columbia label. The Magic of Billie Anthony compiles 33 of these recordings, from her first session (1953's "I'd Rather Take My Time") to her last ("A Handful of Gold" from 1960). In between is a raft of pop tunes, most of which are covers of uptempo American hits. Her style was firmly planted in the earlier pop era even after the rock & roll explosion, and her few "rock" recordings are hybrids. They have the "big beat" associated with rock, but the instrumentation and tightly composed arrangements derive from traditional pop and big-band music. There's a fine line between a cute novelty and cloying fluff, though, and some of her songs cross it -- a pitfall the previously mentioned American pop songstresses also faced from time to time. On the whole, this is the kind of fun and funny music Mitch Miller is credited with (or criticized for) producing, and is perfectly suited to Anthony's bubbly personality.
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