Born Vito Faranolla in Brooklyn in 1928,
Vic Damone occupied a kind of middle ground in the pantheon of male singers of his time. Never occupying the same place in the hearts of the public as
Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin, or
Perry Como (for whom he auditioned in an elevator), he was still a cut above a
Al Martino,
Guy Mitchell, or a
Jerry Vale. He has been associated with several tunes over the years that he helped popularize like "I Have but One Heart," "My Heart Cries for You," and one of the tunes on this album, "If You Are but a Dream." But even these were not as acclaimed as versions by Sinatra and others. This 1968 album was issued on RCA Victor's English Deja Vu series. Very popular in England -- even having his own fan club --
Damone toured that country quite often promoting his releases. The play list emphasizes
Damone's muscular baritone and delivery. Working with a variety of studio orchestras and arrangers,
Damone brings off steady performances of 11 tunes, some standards, but mostly contemporary material. That he can croon with the best is shown on "Watch What Happens," arranged by
Billy Byers, and on "Stardust." But he is equally adroit on up-tempo tunes. On "Like Someone in Love," he even gets jazzy as he sings along with some excellent, but unidentified, bass and piano.
Damone was one of the better of many good male singers of traditional popular song during the 1950s and 1960s. He continues to perform and retain the admiration of loyal fans well into the 2000s. ~ Dave Nathan