Artist: Dean Martin Album: Dino: Italian Love Songs / Cha-Cha de Amor

Year: 1997
Duration: 0:0-1

A Critical Review of Dean Martin's Italian Love Songs/Cha-Cha de Amor Album

Dean Martin is one of the most known American actors and singers of the mid-20th century. He was born in Ohio and began his career as a crooner, performing for various nightclubs and television shows. Martin's music reflects his Italian-American heritage, and he has recorded many Italian-themed songs over the course of his career. In this review, I will be analyzing Martin's Italian Love Songs/Cha-Cha de Amor album, discussing Martin's history as an artist, the music genre of the album, the best songs of the album, the most innovative parts, and finally, a critical review of the album.

Martin's Italian Love Songs/Cha-Cha de Amor album was released in 1962, during an era when the cha-cha and mambo dances were in vogue. The album features Italian love ballads and cha-cha classics in a seamless blend. The album has a playful tone and is marked by Martin's signature, casual crooning style. He probably recorded it intending to evoke memories of 1950s' Italian-Americans, their homegrown music, and their immigrant identity.

The album's best tracks are memorable for different reasons. 'Just Say I Love Her' stands out for its melancholic melody and Martin's emotive voice. The addition of steel guitar gives it a country feel. 'Vieni Su' captures Martin's playful side, with its bouncy, exuberant rhythm, screaming horns and sexy sirens in the background. 'Bella Bella Bambina' is another highlight of the album, with its infectious rhythm and the subtle use of strings adding an aura of romanticism around Martin's vocals.

The album's most innovative parts come in the form of the cha-cha tracks, featuring in the second half of the album. Blending Italian love ballads with dance tunes was a creative move, and Martin's producers made use of that originality by adding amplified trumpets, grooving percussion, and polyrhythms common in cha-cha songs of the time.

However, despite the innovative concept, the album often feels like a novelty record or a forced attempt to capture a moment. Martin's voice starts to feel repetitive and formulaic after a few tracks. The album's biggest flaw is the lack of cohesion, with the transition from ballad to dance tracks often jarring. Martin's producers also didn't make any great efforts to arranger songs and orchestrate them as would have been expected in a classic album of that time.

Dean Martin's Italian Love Songs/Cha-Cha de Amor album is an exemplar of the '60s easy-listening music, with its playful tone and Martin's casual crooning style. The individual tracks often sound splendid and capture the essence of the moment; however, this album doesn't come off as a seamless collection. The music genre of the album is cha-cha ballad, which was popular with Italian immigrants in America. The best songs of the album are 'Just Say I Love Her,' 'Vieni Su,' and 'Bella Bella Bambina.' The cha-cha tracks form the innovative part of the album. In all, the album might be regarded as a classic due to Martin's name, but it doesn't quite meet the criteria of a classic album.