Nilsson
was nearly a decade ahead of
Linda Ronstadt
and other nouveau crooners in hiring a conductor/arranger of the pre-rock era (in this case
Gordon Jenkins
) and recording an album of standards before a full orchestra. And he did it better than most, proving to be a marvelous interpreter of songs like
"What'll I Do?"
and
"Makin' Whoopee!"
His version of
"As Time Goes By"
became a minor hit. [A 2006 reissue added six bonus tracks.] ~ William Ruhlmann