Jane Russell
is remembered for only a few of the two dozen films she made, especially her racy debut
The Outlaw
and
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
, in which she partnered with
Marilyn Monroe
. She sang in the latter, and in quite a few of her other pictures, too, and she also made a series of recordings throughout her career, some of which are gathered on this unlicensed British release. First up are a couple of singles she cut with
Kay Kyser
's band in 1947, then all eight tracks from her LP of the same year,
Let's Put Out the Lights
. These ten selections also turned up on
Sony
's 2002 CD reissue of
, meaning this material, after being out of print for half a century, quickly became available on two different discs. Many of the other tracks represent
Russell
's studio recordings of songs she sang in her films, such as
"Kisses and Tears,"
on which she's joined by co-star
Frank Sinatra
, from
Double Dynamite
(1951);
"Five Little Miles from San Berdoo"
"You'll Know"
from
His Kind of Woman
"Am I in Love?"
"Wing Ding Tonight,"
also featuring co-star
Bob Hope
Son of Paleface
(1952); and
"The Gilded Lily"
Montana Belle
(1952).
originally recorded these songs for
Columbia
,
London
Capitol
, and
American Records
, and they have gone out of copyright in Europe after 50 years. Remastered from old 78s, the sound here is noticeably muffled, especially when the
sides are compared with the
reissue. But
turns out to have a good voice that, as a trained actress, she adapts well to the different demands of the material. The eight songs from
are bedroom
ballads
on which she sounds like she's ready to climb under the covers, and possibly not to go to sleep right away. With
Sinatra
and especially
Hope
, she's feisty and funny. The release of this rare material is welcome, and there's more where it came from. ~ William Ruhlmann