Perhaps Australia's answer to
Michael Buble
,
David Campbell
made a name for himself quickly with
Swing Sessions
, an ode to the showmen of yesteryear.
Campbell
does his best to mimic his heroes here, from the opening
Dean Martin
piece to
Frank Sinatra
's
"Call Me Irresponsible,"
to a couple of
Bobby Darin
numbers worked in for good measure. Where
Buble
will (usually) make a song somewhat his own with a different phrasing or delivery, though,
seems to be trying for an exact replica instead. There's soul and pathos in his delivery, but it's not
's soul and pathos so much as
's pathos and
Sinatra
's soul. In
"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
however, midway into the album,
starts to break through a bit, adding a slightly younger vibe and a slightly freer format.
"Beyond the Sea"
gets a similar treatment, with just a little looseness that wasn't in the
Darin
original. Despite any overt mimicry, the album comes off well. A punchy big band does an outstanding job of resurrecting the classics, replete with the touches of accentuation that gave some of the classic recordings their personalities.
's on-again-off-again originality may not provide all listeners with enough reason on its own to give him a shot over the original recordings, but when he does break free, there's something inherently likable about his form, not unlike
's fast-growing star power. ~ Adam Greenberg