Come By Me

06/01/1999 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Tim Sheridan

When Harry Connick, Jr. went out on a limb with his "concept album," Star Turtle, a few years back, critics jumped at the chance to pan the living crap out of him. After all, doesn't a man who's good looking, young, talented and married to a model need a sound thrashing by the press? Sure he does.

Less attention was paid to his follow-up, the romantic To See You, perhaps because it didn't offer the same soft underbelly to poke. Pundits will have a harder time with this effort. Come By Me finds Connick blending originals and standards for the first time, all to fine effect. With a swinging, blasting big band, Connick offers up loving renditions of classics like "Change Partners" and "Charade" and winning originals like the jovial title track and the melancholy "Easy For You To Say."

Sure, he admits himself that his originals swipe classic jazz and swing forms, but at least he does it well (unlike many of the lamentable "swing revivalists"). So go ahead and hate him because he's beautiful and inspired by Sinatra. But you're only cheating yourself of a swingin' time.