Frankie Laine - Frankie Laine, Balladeer/Wanderlust

This Columbia reissue combines two like-minded LPs from Frankie Laine: 1959's Frankie Laine, Balladeer and 1962's Wanderlust. The former collects Laine's version of 12 songs loosely gathered around the folk umbrella, from "Rocks and Gravel" to the traditional "New Orleans" (aka "House of the Rising Sun") to Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons." Laine does an admirable job, though occasionally he gives the material a degree of gravitas it doesn't deserve. Wanderlust is also vaguely conceptual, with freedom or travel the impetus; most of Laine's performances are subservient to the stale arrangements and an impersonal vocal chorus. Read More