Dean Martin Sings The American Songbook: 32 Original Recordings (2-CD)

He was possibly the most laid-back, hazily-hip, singer to inhabit the world of popular music. His name almost defined cool. Elvis loved him and told the world that Dino was a major influence. Frank Sinatra drank with him, sang with him, argued with him, but always kept him close: "Dean was my brother, not through blood but through choice," he proclaimed. "Good times and bad we were there for each other. He was like the air that I breathe, always there, always close by." This double-delivery of Martin magic documents all you need to know about his ability to communicate and to personalise some of the greatest songs ever to be plucked from the pages of that well-thumbed Great American Songbook.