Dear Heart and Other Songs About Love is billed as
Henry Mancini's first all-
choral album, but he had worked with a vocal chorus many times in the past, so the "departure" is not very unusual.
"Soldier in the Rain" is an instrumental piece with a wordless chorus of the sort that filled many an instrumental album of the era, but the rest of the tracks are actual songs performed by a mixed choir. The vocals and instrumentation are credited to
Henry Mancini & His Orchestra & Chorus, an assemblage of studio artists. The songs encompass
soundtrack cuts (
"Dear Heart"), recent hits (
"The Girl from Ipanema"), assorted
pop compositions, and one delightful
novelty (
"The New 'Frankie and Johnnie' Song").
Mancini is better known for his
orchestral arrangements -- his
choral arrangements are well-done, but not as "intriguingly original" as the liner notes would lead you to believe.
Dear Heart and Other Songs About Love lacks the readily identifiable sound of a
Ray Conniff, for example, but is similar in tone and construction. A vocal version of
Mancini's theme,
"Mr. Lucky," is one item of special interest on this album. ~ Greg Adams
![The Best of Henry Mancini [BMG/Camden]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0743214767627_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "The Best of Henry Mancini [BMG/Camden]")
