How many of us grew up with the voice of Jiminy Cricket singing
\n“When You Wish Upon A Star” from
\nPinnochio<\/i>? There was always something soothing about that
\nvoice, no matter how old of a kid you are. I might not remember
\nmuch about my childhood, but even at the age of 27, I find
\nsomething therapeutic about hearing that song.<\/p>\n
These same people might cringe when offered the chance to listen
\nto an album with the title of
\nUkulele Ike Sings Again<\/i> – I know I wasn’t especially
\nthrilled about it at first. Ah, but reading the liner notes to this
\ndisc (part of Disney’s “The Archive Collection”, and a disc that
\ncan only be purchased through them), I discovered that “Ukulele
\nIke” was in fact Cliff Edwards – better known as the voice of
\nJiminy Cricket. Oh, well, in that case…<\/p>\n
As it turns out, this disc of Edwards singing 16 songs backed by
\nthe “Wonderland Jazz Band” is truly pleasurable to listen to, for
\nthe most part. It is incredibly short – in fact, too short, it
\nseems – but Edwards knows how to take a song from his past and keep
\nit fresh.<\/p>\n
Now, keep in mind that this disc was released sometime in the
\n1950s originally (although I have not been able to find out which
\nyear it was released – I forgot to ask my friends at Disney that),
\nmeaning these songs are from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. However, good
\nmusic does know no time barriers, and Edwards often is able to
\ndeliver the goods.<\/p>\n
The all-out rendition of “Singin’ In The Rain,” complete with
\nEdwards providing scat vocals in the breaks, is a sign of the joy
\nthis album contains. Though some of these songs might not be
\nfamiliar to younger listeners, the time barrier won’t seem to
\nmatter when it comes to the delivery. From a gentle croon on “I’ll
\nSee You In My Dreams” to a happily busy rendition of “Sunday” (two
\nversions are on this disc, including an uncredited “single” version
\nwith the scat overdub), Edwards maintains a lot of the magic
\nthrough his distinctive vocal style.<\/p>\n
Weaknesses? Yes, there are a few – such as the way some of the
\ntracks run into each other to create surprising medleys. I
\npersonally would have preferred to hear full versions of “Toot,
\nToot, Tootsie, Goodbye,” “No No Nora” and “Five Foot Two, Eyes Of
\nBlue” instead of them all mashed together. And although Edwards can
\nsing almost anything, his slipping into an Irish brogue midway
\nthrough “K-K-K-Katy” ends up to be a bit annoying, moreso than if
\nhe had delivered the whole song that way. Fortunately, this song
\nquickly melds into “When You Wore A Tulip,” the only time I’ll give
\nmy blessing to the medley on this album.<\/p>\n
But what about the ukulele, you may ask? Well, as it turns out,
\nEdwards’s work on the ukulele often seems to be buried in the mix,
\ncoming forward on songs like “Sunday” very well. And, much to my
\nsurprise, Edwards is a very good player – from what he’s playing ,
\nit sounds like the ukulele is a more complicated instrument than I
\nwould have originally thought.<\/p>\n
Whether you’re a kid of 5 or 85,
\nUkulele Ike Sings Again<\/i> is sure to provide some level of
\npleasure. It might bring back old memories or help you create new
\nones. And though Edwards’s singing career might be all but
\nforgotten to us young pups, albums like this are sure to remind us
\nthere was more to Edwards’s life than an animated cricket.<\/p>\n