Eileen Barton - If I Knew You Were Comin': The Singles Collection [CD]

Eileen Barton was a singer associated both with the early 1950s and with novelty pop songs of the era, the most famous being her No. 1 debut in 1950 with "If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd've Baked A Cake)". However, she had been around for several years on Broadway, on radio and as a classy big band singer and was very much associated with Frank Sinatra, appearing on radio with him in the mid-1940s. After recording briefly for Mercury in the '40s she recorded her landmark hit for the National label and carried on recording into the '60s by which time the changes in the pop landscape had overtaken her style. This great-value 55-track 2-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides from her releases on the Mercury, V-Disc, Capitol, National, Coral, Epic, MGM, United Artists and Crest labels during this era, including duets with Buddy Greco, Johnny Desmond and The McGuire Sisters, and Jimmy Wakely, plus 1944 radio broadcasts with Frank Sinatra. It features all her career hits, including the No. 1 "If I Knew You Were Coming (I'd've Baked a Cake)", and the Top 30 hits "Cry", "Pretend", "May I Take Two Giant Steps" and "Wishin'". As well as her familiar novelty material, it includes performances in sophisticated pop style and on dramatic ballads, as well as rock 'n' roll era teen pop in her later years. It's an entertaining showcase for her talent and versatility as an underestimated song stylist.