Mark O'Toole brings back the Swinging Sixties
Mark O’Toole has spent the last two decades performing in Las Vegas, and it shows. Every note of his debut album, The Crooner is drenched in the atmosphere of the city. From the opening notes of “Don’t Wait too Long,” you’re instantly transported to a smoky lounge on the strip, where every suit is a three-piece and every glass is filled with a stiff martini. The lounge singer motif is one that has been burned into the American consciousness, calling to mind the Rat Pack and the swinging Sixties even for people who wouldn’t be born for decades after the fact. It’s singers like O’Toole that make this sort of cultural memory possible, performing pop standards in a fashion that hasn’t changed since Frank Sinatra.
O’Toole has had a long and storied career in show business, getting his start in the Boston Children’s Theater, and forming a band at the age of 16. Since then he has been everything from a celebrity impersonator on a Boston radio show to a contestant on Star Search. With a voice meant for the Las Vegas Strip, he performed at all the city’s biggest names, such as the MGM and the Paris. His career took a tragic turn in 2007 when he was diagnosed with Stage IV lymphoma, but O’Toole refused to stop, even performing on stage during his treatment.
The Crooner, then, can be seen as the culmination of decades of dedication and perseverance in even the most dire circumstances. The result is an impressive collection of pop standards, performed with all the swagger that would be expected from Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. O’Toole’s vocal approach delivers on the promise made by the album’s title, with a relaxed yet confident low croon. The horn arrangements are dense and varied, carrying the melody of tracks like “It’s Not for Me to Say” with subtle accents to the song’s chorus.
If there is one negative to the album, it is the pacing. The opening track brings a bouncing rhythm and joy that soon fades into a long stream of ballads. While each track is well-arranged and stands up on their own right, the album gives the feeling of a wedding reception with just one too many slow dances. O’Toole has the energy to carry the more up tempo, swinging big-band standards with the best of them, and it would have been great to see him explore his range a little more. This complaint may seem a bit silly on an album called The Crooner, but it could just be those Rat Pack allusions making a certain reviewer really want to hear “This Town” again.