[SYN-050]
In 1943, Tormé began fronting an L.A. vocal group that was soon redubbed the Mel-Tones; he served as their arranger too. You can hear the Mel-Tones on several tracks here, backing up Bing Crosby on 1946's "Day by Day" and stepping to the fore for "I Got the Sun in the Morning" (from July of the same year, accompanied by Artie Shaw's band). The remainder of this disc consists of studio tracks recorded after Tormé went solo in 1947, including two major hits from 1949, "Careless Hands" and "Again," a stylish 1950 duet with Peggy Lee on "The Old Master Painter," and one particularly well-chosen standard, George and Ira Gershwin's "A Foggy Day." Though Tormé's popularity would dim in the rock era, that fog can still roll its way into the hearts of discerning listeners today. — Mac Randall