As Harry Connick-cum-Frank Sinatra wannabes go, they don’t come much slicker than Rory Partin. With his pleasant Mel Tormé-meets-Paul Anka sound and his brassy big band, the Louisiana native has been a favorite on the high society party circuit for just over half a decade, with a resumé that boasts six Presidential Inaugural Balls in D.C. (Dubya must really love this guy), the Grand Carnival Ball in Memphis and a lot of big corporate gigs.
Now, Partin has shoehorned all those horns into a studio to shape a debut disc that makes 10 predictable stops along the Nat Cole/Bobby Darin/Sinatra highway. Result? Despite overwhelming arrangements, obviously modeled on classic Nelson Riddle and Billy May charts that leave him drowning in brass, Partin seems a nicely tailored polyester blend of the sort you’re happy to settle for when genuine sharkskin isn’t available.
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