Last night while bouncing randomly around the iTMS, I noticed an album by Kevin Spacey. Since I know Kevin as an actor, and not a singer, I was a little curious, and did some investigating. Turns out that there’s an upcoming biopic of Bobby Darin called Beyond the Sea with Kevin in the lead role (as well as directing and producing), and he actually does all of his own singing for the film.
That was enough to peak my curiosity, and I went ahead and bought the album (19 songs for $9.99). After a couple listens over the course of the day, I’ve gotta say that I’m impressed — while I have no doubts about Spacey’s acting chops (I think he’s one of the best of today’s stars), it’s a very pleasant surprise to hear how well he does crooning away at Darin’s signature pieces.
Highlight tracks I’ve discovered so far are The Lady is a Tramp, Beyond the Sea, As Long as I’m Singin’, and of course, Mack the Knife. If you’re at all into this era and style of jazz, I’d say the albums worth picking up, and I’m definitely looking forward to the film.
“Mack the Knife” by Spacey, Kevin from the album Beyond the Sea (2004, 3:04).
CJ
Brandon
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Darin was a point of contention between me and my late mother-in-law. She saw him merely as Rat Pack Lite and I just loved the guy.
Not to pick but -
The jazz of that time was Monk, Coltrane and Miles Davis doing Kinda Blue/Sketches of Spain. Darin was strictly a Vegas lounge act and a mainstream Ed Sullivan style entertainer. When I was six I saw him sing at a back bar at The Sands while my family waited to get into Arthur Godfrey’s dinner show.
My parents had excellent after hours taste (e.g. Louie Prima and Jonah Jones) and no class when it came to the main dinner seatings in old Vegas.
Spacey gets the close-but-no-cigar vote in my book. Yeah, he sings well enough but the register is never Darin’s.
Ready to geek out?
Beyond the Sea plays over and over in an episode of the X Files where Scully remembers her late father. Her late father, William Scully, a Navy capt was played by?
Don S. Davis of Stargate SG-1 and Twin Peaks fame.