Don Rondo - White Silver Sands: The Don Rondo Collection 1955-60 (2022)

Don Rondo was a singer with a style more akin to the middle-of-the-road market of the early 1950s but who came to the fore with hits with that approach early in the rock ‘n’ roll era, finding it difficult to establish a chart presence in a changing market as he adapted his style in subsequent years, and embraced the new musical idioms before he was overtaken by newer teen idols, and as a popular personality on TV, turned to broadcasting in the ‘60s. This 52-track 2-CD set comprises selected A & B sides of his singles on Decca, Jubilee, Roulette and Carlton labels from these years, plus the titles from his Jubilee albums “Rondo” and “Have You Met” not otherwise released on singles. It features all his career hits, including the US No. 7 “White Silver Sands” and the Top 20 entries “Two Different Worlds” and “There’s Only You”. Featuring as it does a significant proportion of the 60-odd titles he released during this era, it offers a worthwhile overview of his career as a chart-focused recording artist. It also provides an entertaining showcase for his versatility as a song stylist as he tackles ballads and novelty-flavoured material, as well as out-and-out teen pop and roc k ‘n’ roll in search of a hit, along with old-school standards on his albums. He was certainly an artist who arrived on the scene at the wrong time and deserved more chart success than he achieved.