by John Bush
Bobby Short's second recording for Atlantic offered a range of great material, accompanied on the up-tempo numbers by a small, dynamic quartet and, for the ballads, just his own piano (as on the highlight &The Most Beautiful Girl in the World&). Short drew on his two decades in vaudeville, pulling out all the stops for bravura versions of &I've Got the World on a String,& &Down With Love,& and &At the Moving Picture Ball.& &Carioca& becomes a piece of exotica in his hands, and he growls and over-sings hilariously on &Hottentot Potentate.& Yes, there are subtleties to Short's vocal attack, but there's also a dynamism that is often better served on a Broadway stage than in a recording studio. Bobby Short entertained with song better than anyone else, and his interpretations of the standards are striking and very enjoyable. [The 2001 reissue by Collectors' Choice is a solid mastering of the original; not a crystal-clear digital remaster, but solid enough for the material.]