- I’ve Got the World on a String
- Summerwind
- Lazy River
- Witchcraft
- Too Close for Comfort
- Portrait of My Love
- One for My Baby
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin
- Around the World
- For Once in My Life
- True
- Anything But You
- Since My Baby Has Gone
Neville Skelly comes from Liverpool, he is
only 27 years of age, but he sings in the
styles of the great ‘standard’ singers, Sinatra,
Bobby Darin and Matt Monroe. He has already
worked with Big Bands on both sides of the
Atlantic, including the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.
What is certain, is that the time is right
for someone to succeed with a career based
on this type of music. The ‘Pop’ scene is
in terminal decline and a return to quality
music must happen some time. The emergence
of several new vocal talents has coincided
with a situation where there are now more
competent big band musicians about than ever
before. Even though most only play in rehearsal
bands, it can be heard from the BBC Big Band
Contest, that the standard of musicianship
is very high indeed.
Neville is a fine singer and hopefully his
youth and good looks will spark off a revival
of the kind of music that is on this album.
Unfortunately neither the sleeves, nor Neville’s
web site, tell us anything about the members
of the orchestra, but they make a great sound.
These are stock arrangements (I have most
of them in my Big Band library) and there
is no doubt that Neville could be made to
sound even better, with a pad written especially
for him. This costs a great deal of money
however and can come later.
The last 3 tracks feature Neville with a
quartet, performing some newer songs, they
are good, but producing songs of the quality
of the Big Band tracks is some ask! They do
however serve to demonstrate Neville’s versatility.
I hope Neville’s career takes off because
I love this kind of music, he has fine voice
and he deserves to succeed. He has several
upcoming TV appearances so he may get the
exposure he needs to do it. If you like quality
singing of quality songs, buy Neville’s album.
You might just be helping us all to hear more
of it on radio and TV!
Don Mather
CD Reviews
Upstage UPS8003
