Crooner

"""Crooning . . . is an extremely broad church, as Alex Coles' new book on the subject shows us, through several case studies which include Frank Sinatra, Bryan Ferry, Grace Jones and Nas.""-- ""Quitetus"" ""Coles defines 'crooners' as baritone singers using torch songs, concept albums, and studio technology to work their magic. He writes here that music studios gave birth to crooners such as Frank Sinatra who could capture softer, lower tones that are difficult to replicate on stage. . . . This is an intriguing study of a wide array of vocalists who were inspired by Sinatra. A fresh and educational look at an influential element of popular music.""-- ""Library Journal"" ""Crooner [has] the virtue of sending you back to the songs and albums Coles discusses.""-- ""The Mail (UK)"" ""It's about time somebody properly investigated the modern art of the croon and Alex Coles is the right person for the job. We're not talking about the 'golden age' of crooning here, although of course Sinatra is a natural place to start. Across ten carefully selected case studies from those you might expect to be reading about (Nick Cave or Tom Waits) to others that may come as more of a surprise (the rapper Nas, for instance), Coles explores what it means to croon and how the art has evolved.""--JR Moores, author of 'Electric Wizards'"