The first album "Dream with Dean" might be the crooner's best album. Backed by a small tasteful quartet this is the polar opposite of the music that is normally associated with Dino. (I.E big white goofy choruses, swelling strings etc). The album is all the better for that difference as Martin's truly beautiful voice (better to me than Sinatra's) is accentuated in all its subtle glory. The result is a stunningly intimate recording. On the opening cut "I'm Confessing" (one of his best) you can hear Martin breath as he uses his voice like a painter uses a brush to paint an emotional picture. His vocal really is confessional. The next few numbers give listeners a similar experience.
However, the record's flaws soon show their face. The arrangements though tasteful vary little from song to song and listeners are left begging for a little drama. Dean refrains from some of the more dramatic flourishes and slurs he was famous for but the album could have used an occasional flash of the old Martin charm just to mix things up. This really becomes a problem on the second half of the album when the material gets weaker with the dated "Smile" and the unbearably cutesy "Give Me a Little Kiss Will Ya Huh?". Still hearing Martin in this context is well worth the effort and the album is in general a success. While Martin had a reputation for being indifferent to just about everything, this is a real serious attempt at some kind of art.
The second album is more problematic and indicative of some of the problems inherent in Martin's career. It is kind of a slapdash affair with about half the stuff worth listening to and about half throw away garbage. "Your Other Love" is a dated period piece and probably the worst song ever written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. "Shutters and Boards" and Bobby Darin's "Things" are way too derivative. And can anybody doubt that "Siesta Fiesta" was just recorded to fill album space?
On the other hand, the remade "Everybody Loves Somebody" is a marked improvement over Dean's previous recording by using the classic Martin formula updated with a rock like rhythm section. And it gives listeners a taste of humor and big drama just when we're overdosing on intimacy. "Baby O" is a good lesser Johnny Mercer number in the "Volare" mode and "My Heart Cries for You" is simply beautiful.
There are some flaws in the repackaging as well. While the sound is great there are no new liner notes except for the back cover. The inside flap contains pictures of the original back album jackets but no extra pictures. And there are no full size reproductions of the album covers. This is a loss because "Dream with Dean" sported a beautiful 60s type cover.
Still despite the flaws it's great to have this music available to show fans that Martin could be an artist in addition to being a celebrity.
