Better than the originals

Almost without exception, the recordings here are superior, in terms of both performance and engineering, to the originals. Hit songs remade years later usually lack a certain spark. But not in this case.

Connie Francis Re-Visits Her Classics

Connie still had what it took when she went into the studio for this compilation: although her voice is clearly more mature, it still possesses that unique "sob" and considerable energy, and she aquits herself well in revisiting the songs that made her one of the brightest singing stars of her generation. She also does surprisingly well with a number of new songs, most particularly "Misty Blue."

Even so, there is a spark missing here. The arrangements, for one thing, seem more akin to what you would you find in a Las Vegas act than they do to the crackling originals--they have a softer, less aggressive tone. As for Connie's voice, which was always a delicate instrument, it is clearly more mature here--and although she gives such tunes as "Vacation" and "Stupid Cupid" plenty of energy, the result is more nostalgia than reinterpretation. But when Connie Francis is good, she is still very, very good. "Where the Boys Are" sounds as fresh as ever, and such torch songs as "Hurt" have a power that only a mature voice can convey--and convey it she does. WHERE THE HITS ARE will never take the place of the original recordings, but it is an enjoyable trip down memory lane for fans.

Connie Francis? Pllleeeasse!

Guilty pleasure: Where The Boys Are. Bought the CD just for that song. What happened? I'm hooked on the whole darn album. Misty Blue and Torn Between Two Lovers blows away the original artist's hits. Connie adds an urgency and poignancy to every song. Right now, it's the CD I play most. I can do without Stupid Cupid and Vacation, but everything else is great.