Croonin' [Audio CD] MURRAY,ANNE

An appropriate title if there ever was one. Nova Scotia songbird Anne Murray is a crooner to the core, all style and grace with a capital G. As the title suggests, 1993's Croonin' is a collection of cover songs by soft-pop giants like Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, and Peggy Lee. Murray swoons through versions of standards like "Fever," "Allegheny Moon," and "Cry Me a River," sticking as tight to the originals as possible. It's an exceptionally restrained recording, one where extravagance is some jazzy finger snapping and a lazy sax solo. Still, Murray's voice is remarkably strong and the arrangements, though subdued, are tasteful. --Matt Galloway