Album Review: The Hal David & Burt Bacharach Songbook

This third release in the Songbook series follows collections for Lennon and McCartney and Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It's amazing to think so many great songs came from just six songwriters, and this double CD is proof enough that Hal David and Burt Bacharach belong in such esteemed company. There's no denying the quality and timelessness of Aretha's I Say A Little Prayer, Dionne Warwick's Walk On By and BJ Thomas' Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head but there are other gems to be found like Cilla Black's Anyone Who Had A Heart, Gene Pitney's (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance and Sandie Shaw's (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me. The collection could probably do without Perry Como and the like, songs which haven't really stood the test of time but, on the whole, it's a fine nostalgia trip.
Favourite Track: Gene Pitney's Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa; guilty Pleasure: Herb Alpert's This Guy's In Love With You.
3.5/5