Unmistakable voices don't come along that often, and when they do, it's sometimes for the wrong reasons. You can't mistake Anthony Newley's voice or vocal style, and it's great that Stage Door have had the opportunity to release some of his last recordings. The album Anthony Newley: The Last Song - The Final Recordings has been released as a joint collaboration between Stage Door, and The Anthony Newley Society, and is endorsed by Newley's family.

Anthony Newley passed away in April 1999 after losing his battle with cancer. However, his musical legacy which encompasses musicals, stage shows, television, hit songs and recordings thankfully remain, and this recording only adds to this legacy. The album was recorded in London between 1996 and 1997, and represent Anthony Newley's final recordings and have remained unreleased, until now.

As I said, Newley has an unmistakable voice, and can deliver a song well. He's not the world's greatest singer, and I don't think he ever claimed to be, but he has an unmistakable charm. This charm comes over in bucket loads on this album, especially in the duets that appear with Petula Clark, Julia McKenzie (with a song from Chaplin) and Marti Webb. My favourites, without a doubt are 'My First Love Song', and 'My Last Song', which showcase Newley's vocal talents, and as with the whole album, feature well-measured arrangements and backing.

As a bonus, the album features two Christmas songs composed by Newley and recorded in 1997. Originally intended for release as a Holiday single, the tracks now make their debut here. Also featured are a number of unreleased live tracks, including performances of the songs most synonymous with Anthony Newley; 'What Kind Of Fool Am I?' and 'Who Can I Turn To?'. I could have lived without hearing 'Who Can I Turn To', as it's given a Disco treatment in a not-so good live recording, but it makes for an interesting bonus.

I loved this album, and it made me go back and visit Stage Door's other Newley release, Newley Discovered, which is also of the same high quality. I hear there may still be more material to release - I hope so.

9

Ian Gude