Tom Wopat: The Still of the Night

It's not reached stampede proportions, but there are a number of entertainment professionals crossing over into singing. Gary Le Mel, a top Warner Brothers movie executive came with his album Moonlighting last year. Now there's TV personality. Tom Wopat with his first vocal album The Still of the Night. Wopat is probably best known for his role on the Dukes of Hazzard. He also appeared as Cybill Shepherd's husband on Cybill and has been on Home Improvement. On the music side, he played opposite Bernadette Peters in a successful Broadway revival of Annie Get your Gun. Building on that success, he signed a contract with Angel Records and violà, a vocal CD emerges and it's not bad at all.

Wopat tries on this album to establish himself as a romantic crooner in the spirit of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and even Dean Martin. His voice and delivery sometimes sound like Tony Bennett's, then other times like Bobby Darin. Every now and then one hears a scintilla of country, to be expected from a singer who makes his home in Nashville. Most of the tunes are romantic ballads which Wopat delivers with feeling and intensity.

He gets a lot of help by some excellent arrangements performed by top of the line musicians. The title tune is done with a soft bossa nova beat, which Wopat stays bit behind. He's aided and abetted here by the ardent tenor of Dave Tofani. "Let's Fall in Love" gets medium swing big band treatment with the smooth trombone of Dave Bergeron laying down a solid foundation for the rest of the players to build on, and they do with elan and aplomb. There's a good solo on this track by the Count Basie like minimalist piano of Rob Mounsey. A heart wrenching, eloquent rendition of the under recorded gem "I Get Along without You Very Well" with just Mounsey's piano the sole backing, is an excellent piece of work. There's an unusual arrangement of "Anyone Can Whistle" backed once more by Mounsey's piano coupled with a very heavy string section. Instead of the usual upbeat optimistic interpretation one hears, Wopat treats this song as a plaintive regret that he can't do much more than whistle. After all anyone can purse their lips and blow. But it takes real talent to do other stuff. A fun cut is Wopat and Antonia Bennett's delivery of that masterful song of seduction "Baby It's Cold Outside." His strong, masculine baritone contrasts with the innocent sounding voice of Bennett.

Among the very excellent musicians who have joined Wopat in the studio are Bucky Pizzarelli, Steve Jordan and Marc Johnson, and the fine pianist Larry Goldings drops by to work with Wopat on a lovely "For all We Know." This is not a ground breaking, earth shattering recording. However, it is a pleasant 48 minutes of good vocalizing and fine playing. Good music to have around to create a romantic mood. Visit Tom at his Internet site, www.wopat.com.

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