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Digitally remastered by Stephen Innocenzi (Atlantic Studios, New York). This Is Darin was the follow-up to his 1959 breakthrough LP, That's All, for which Bobby Darin won Grammies for Record of the Year and Best New Singer. This Is Darin showcases his confident phrasing with some moments of humor and a few trademark "hut hut"s (six in the first song!). Atco has digitally remastered all 12 songs, rendering the orchestration by Richard Wess crystal clear. Darin hoped this album would establish his reputation as an interpreter of standards. Gone is the bobby-sock rock of "Splish Splash" and even the crossover appeal of "Mack the Knife." In its place is a more mature Bobby Darin aiming for adult -- not pop -- credibility. "With rock & roll, I'm like a thousand other guys,'' he said, according to his son's book. "Now, I've got to prove I can sing." (In fact, This Is Darin is his first LP to not include a Bobby Darin original.) This album's covers include E.Y. Harburg's "Down with Love," Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin's "The Gal the Got Away," Duke Ellington's "Caravan," and Frank Loesser's "Guys and Dolls." Every song in this set is good. "Clementine" should be a neo-swinger favorite; it's language about a large woman is mildly offensive now -- but not for the time. The smooth sax, slinky piano, and piercing trumpet solos on "Have You Got Any Castles" make it one of the standouts. Darin's interpretation of Johnny Mercer's lyrics here are fabulously tongue in cheek. (Maybe producers Nesuhi and Ahmet Ertegun deserve credit for first matching Darin and Mercer, since the combo would strike such gold with 1961's Two of a Kind.) This Is Darin is highly recommended if you have long since tired of the Swingers soundtrack and want to discover Darin's more traditional fare. [This Is Darin was on the Billboard charts for 50 weeks and peaked at number six.] ~ JT Griffith
