any modern-day Star Trek fans probably don't recall that renowned
actor and director James Darren initially launched his career in the late
1950s as a charismatic singing sensation. His latest show-biz adventure
therefore represents a step "back to the future" for the artist. That's
because his new album, This One's From the Heart, is a vocal
tribute to Vic Fontaine, the hip, holographic 1960s Las Vegas lounge singer
portrayed by Darren in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's final
seasons.
The CD spotlights 17 romantic interpretations of big band classics.
Darren's smooth voice is blended with a silky bass on the opening number,
"The Best is Yet to Come," which, like many of the disc's tracks, was
performed on the show by the entertainer. Rousing horn arrangements enliven
timeless tunes like "That Old Black Magic," "You'd Better Love Me" and
"You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You," while mellow strings and soft piano
nicely accent standards such as "Just in Time," "I've Got You Under My Skin"
and "Dancing in the Dark."
Darren also presents heartfelt readings of the beautiful but bittersweet
ballads "All the Way" and "I'll Be Seeing You," plus skilled renditions of
well-established melodies like Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" and Cole
Porter's "Night and Day." The liner notes include a brief biography of the multifaceted vocalist, along with the obligatory orchestra
acknowledgments and a dedication to the DS9 producers, which notes that
the series was, at least in part, responsible for inspiring Darren to
relaunch his singing career.
"Listen and enjoy, Pallie!"
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Darren was an exuberant though
relatively innocent teen heartthrob, and his trademark effervescence clearly
remains evident on This One's From the Heart. Yet the production also
exhibits a significantly more adult performance than listeners might expect from a
musician known primarily for vintage teenybopper tunes. He has obviously
matured, and his renditions of these time-honored torch songs are wonderfully
presented and appropriately worldly-wise.
Darren adopts a distinctively husky voice on "Here's to the Losers," which
marvelously evokes a lonely late-night atmosphere. The expressive aural
environment is further adorned with expert horn and guitar solos that
complement the tune's forlorn but fortifying lyrics. Meanwhile, although
they're not specifically science fiction-oriented, songs such as "Come Fly
With Me" and "It's Only a Paper Moon," both of which feature particularly
lush instrumentation, briefly touch upon fantastical themes that should
please most SF aficionados. Listeners will also want to pay special attention
to the fade-out finale of "Satin Doll," where Darren extemporaneously invites
orchestra conductor Sammy Nestico to "blast off to some other planet" while
informing the audience that "things are pretty cool up on Jupiter and
Mars."
A couple of cuts could benefit from slightly richer arrangements, and
Darren's voice wavers a tiny bit on "The Way You Look Tonight," but otherwise
This One's From the Heart is a remarkably solid and sincere
collection. Slip into a tux, mix a martini, hit the play button and, as
Fontaine himself might say, "Listen and enjoy, Pallie!"
