Best of Sammy Davis, Jr. [Curb] (CD - 1982)

When Sammy Davis, Jr. joined with the Mike Curb Congregation in the early '70s, the combination yielded the hit "Candy Man," a pop tune that was the ultimate in hokey sugary-sweet cotton candy. It, and most of the tunes on this collection, are over-produced, but do show Davis' voice as solid and enjoyable. The material leans on show tunes, the better ones being "That Old Black Magic," "Singin' in the Rain," "Those Were the Days," and the dated theme from the Baretta TV show, "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow." Far from a definitive or legitimate greatest-hits package, it does feature Sammy D as a consummate entertainer first and singer second. ~ Michael G. Nastos

The great performer Sammy Davis Jr. steps into an electric country and disco setting on these 11 selections--it's a startling change from the jazz combo/big band orchestrations he had performed with in previous years. These recordings are pure unadulterated pop songs.

You may recognize the themes from several popular television shows such as ALL IN THE FAMILY ("Those Were the Days") and THE JEFFERSONS ("Movin' on Up"), while "The Candy Man" is associated as much with Davis as it is with the film WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. He coasts along with these cheerful tunes alongside vocal, synthesizer, electric guitar, and violin arrangements courtesy of Mike Curb. The popular ballad "That Old Black Magic" is given a hyper-disco treatment that sets a contemporarily funky tone suiting Sammy Davis Jr. to a T. minimize