The The Fifties - Complete

This 12-CD box set containing 347 songs -- 's entire 1950s recorded output, including over 80 previously unissued tracks -- deserves an honest, open-minded, and thorough examination. Listeners may like or dislike 's early R&B hits -- etc. -- but it is important to remember that those songs comprise but a very small part of his 1950s recorded output and demonstrate one side only of his amazing versatility. Certainly on any voluminous, comprehensive collection, not all the tracks are going to be gems, and this anthology contains a few that don't shine so brightly. However, the vast majority of material here has so very much to recommend it. "Exquisite" and "impeccable" are adjectives that do not exaggerate 's unaffected, natural, and totally wholehearted way with a song. Whether it's -- these and countless others are all done to perfection. The accolades that came 's way during the '50s included critical acclaim and raves from , , and many other contemporaries and critics alike. In an August 1957 interview with in Vancouver, BC, said of , "the finest voice in music today." That all by itself says a lot. This box set has the potential of opening a lot of new eyes and maybe some closed eyes as well. ~ Arthur Rowe