Let Me Entertain You Review

07/13/2005 5:36 AM, AMG


No one would argue that Ann-Marget's principal entertainment skill was as a vocalist. So it may seem a bit finicky to point out that this well-packaged, 21-track retrospective of recordings from the early and mid-'60s actually is not the best anthology of her music. That honor belongs to The Many Moods of Ann-Margret (on the Australian Raven label), whose selection is considerably more pop/rock-oriented (which is not to say that it rocks very hard). Let Me Entertain You focuses more on her sultry sex-kitten pieces, which lean more toward pop-jazz and standards. Only half a dozen of the selections overlap with The Many Moods of Ann-Margret, though, so fans have the option of picking up two compilations which share the wealth fairly equitably. This (like the Australian import comp) has her two most famous numbers, "Bye Bye Birdie" and her lone Top 20 hit, "I Just Don't Understand." Much of the rest cranks up the floor-show ambience considerably, the saucy version of "C'est Si Bon" being a special highlight. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide