Too Marvelous for Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercer Lee Lessack

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Track List
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Too Marvelous for Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercer

1LISTENMy Shining Hour 3:41
2LISTENToo Marvelous for Words/Day in-Day Out/That Old Black 5:19
3LISTENDream/Laura 2:54
4LISTENThe Air-Minded Executive 2:32
5LISTENI Thought About You 2:31
6LISTENThe Travel Medley: Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home/On the Atchison, Topeka 8:30
7LISTENDays of Wine and Roses/Charade/Moon River 4:49
8LISTENI Wanna Be Around 2:41
9LISTENI Remember You/Skylark 4:04
10LISTENThe What-Cha-Ma-Call-It 2:25
11LISTENWhen October Goes 4:19
12LISTENPineapple Pete 3:20
13LISTENThe Bathtub Ran over Again 1:14
14LISTENWhistling Away the Dark/Autumn Leaves 5:22
15LISTENOut of This World 3:48

About this Artist

Editorial Reviews

Johnny Mercer's words and music fill a lot of space in the Great American Popular Songbook. He has penned words for the music of some of the most venerable songs in popular song history. It's hard not to find something by Mercer on albums cut by contemporary singers as well as on those by the great song stylists of the past. Albums paying tribute to his work are found throughout the popular song discography. Now comes Les Lessack, singer and recording company executive, with his entry honoring the Savannah-born lyricist. Recorded live in cabaret before an appreciative audience, Lessack runs through a 15-tune play list of mostly well-known Mercer material with a balance between light, cute, and novelty, and serious material. "Pineapple Pete" and "Whatcha-Ma-Call-It" are examples of the former. "Pineapple Pete" is the vehicle for good-natured banter by Lessack as he picks up a fluke (like a ukulele) to accompany himself. In good cabaret tradition, the medley of Mercer's travel music is adorned with vignettes about the songs. Ballads, on the other hand, are treated with almost devotional respect as they are delivered with deep, sincere emotional feeling. Occasionally John Boswell accompanies Lessack like he is backing a classical vocalist doing lieder by Robert Schuman. The playing becomes ponderous and at times overwhelms Lessack, as on "My Shining Hour" and some other cuts. It's too bad because Lessack throws everything he has into each tune and every bit of his expressiveness, a critical part of his delivery, needs to be heard. The Lessack voice has a touch of Johnny Mathis, especially the way he uses vibrato at the end of each phrase. Aside from the occasional burly piano, this entertaining tribute to Mercer is recommended. Dave Nathan, All Music Guide

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Too Marvelous for Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercerby Anonymous

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October 06, 2005: Since everything I've ever heard Lee Lessack do is too marvelous for words, this CD is very aptly named. And when you're talking about a tribute CD to the incomprable Johnny Mercer, how CAN you go wrong? This CD is a great combination of better- and lesser-known songs by Johnny Mercer, and really shows what a versatile songwriter he was. But an even bigger selling point for me is that the CD is recorded live, so you get to find out more about the artist performing -- and Lee Lessack is a very charming, witty, SUPER talented performer. I think he's got to be the best male voice in cabaret, and one of my favorite male voices in any genre. His version of "When October Goes" (featured on both this recording and "I Know You By Heart") is heartbreaking and in my opinion, the definitive version. My suggestion -- snap up this and Lee Lessack's other recordings ASAP.