From its founding in the 1940s until after it became the label of
the Beach Boys and
the Beatles in the 1960s, Capitol Records devoted itself to solo pop singers, its flagship artist being
Frank Sinatra. Stars like
Dean Martin,
Nat King Cole, and
Judy Garland flourished at Capitol, and the company also contracted such performers as
Peggy Lee and
Bobby Darin for a stint. All that material has served as a basis for EMI/Capitol's
Ultra-Lounge series of compilations, which reaches its 25th volume with
Ultra-Lounge: Vegas Baby!. The only surprise is that it took so long for the concept of a Las Vegas volume to come to fruition. The 20 tracks include a number of artists closely associated with the city of sin, including those mentioned above (with the exception of
Sinatra, whose recordings generally are not available for compilations) plus
Tom Jones,
Steve Lawrence, and
Wayne Newton. Usually, the songs themselves also have some connection with Las Vegas' principal business of gambling ("With Plenty of Money and You," "I'm Shooting High," "Lucky Day," etc.) or at least can be interpreted that way. (
Joe South wasn't thinking of Vegas when he wrote "Games People Play," covered here by
Mel Tormé, but the title and
Tormé's lively treatment justify its inclusion.) The arrangements tend toward the loud and brassy, the better to be heard over those slot machines, and the singers are equally demonstrative. The result is an excellent compilation of traditional pop, Vegas-style. ~ William Ruhlmann