Mark Alan Lowry was born in Houston, Texas on June 24, 1958. He is best known for being a Christian comedian and for his stints with the Gaither Vocal Band. In 2013 he released UNFORGETTABLE CLASSICS. In the liner notes Lowry writes: "I have loved these songs, and many more like them from the American Songbook, all of my life. My mother first introduced me to Nat King Cole when I was just a little boy. I used to walk around the house at four years of age with my favorite Andy Williams record". The orchestrations on this album were arranged and conducted by Steve Maudlin and performed by the Nashville String Machine, contracted by Carl Gorodetzky.
First up is the easy listening number 'The Very Thought of You'. It's the song of one who is smitten: "The very thought of you and I forget to do/The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do/I'm living in a kind of daydream/I'm happy as a king/And foolish though it may seem/To me that's everything". 'Unforgettable' is a great duet with Charlotte Ritchie. It's very sentimental: "Like a song of love that clings to me/How the thought of you does things to me/Never before has someone been more/Unforgettable in every way/And forevermore/That's how you'll stay". 'Nevertheless' features the Booth Brothers and Bill Gaither. It reminds us that we are taking a risk when we open up our hearts: "Maybe I'll live a life of regret/And maybe I'll give much more than I get/But nevertheless, I'm in love with you".
'It Had to be You' has a faster paced big band feel to it. It declares one's love for a special someone: "Some others I've seen/Might never be mean, might never be cross/Or tried to be boss/But they wouldn't do/Oh, nobody else/Gave me a thrill/With all your faults I love you still/It had to be you/Wonderful you/It had to be you!" 'Fly Me to the Moon' is a quiet, innocent tune: "Fly me to the moon/And let me play among the stars/Let me see what spring is like/On Jupiter and Mars/In other words, hold my hand/In other words, darling, kiss me".
'Glow Worm' features the Martins. This swing song is fun: "Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer/Hey there, don't get dimmer, dimmer/Light the path below, above/And lead us on to love!" 'Smile' is a beautiful song of encouragement: "Smile, though your heart is aching/Smile, even though it's breaking/When there are clouds in the sky/You'll get by/If you smile through your fear and sorrow/Smile and maybe tomorrow/You'll see the sun come shining through for you".
'They Can't Take that Away from Me' is a big band song with some cheesy lyrics: "The way you wear your hat/The way you sip your tea/The memory of all that/No, no, they can't take that away from me/The way your smile just beams/The way you sing off key/The way you haunt my dreams/No, no, they can't take that away from me". 'Stardust' is a sleepy, forgettable song: "Sometimes I wonder why I spend the lonely nights/Dreaming of a song/The melody haunts my reverie/And I am once again with you/When our love was new/And each kiss an inspiration/But that was long ago/And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song".
'Our Love is Here to Stay' is a nice duet with Joyce Martin Sanders. It's a happy song: "Oh, my dear, our love is here to stay/And together we're going a long, long way/In time the Rockies may crumble/Gibraltar may tumble/They're only made of clay/But our love is here to stay". Last up is a duet with Michael English, 'What a Wonderful World'. It's a soft song of wonder: "I hear babies cryin'/I watch them grow/They'll learn much more than we'll ever know/And I think to myself/What a wonderful world".
UNFORGETTABLE CLASSICS is comprised of seven slow songs and four faster ones. The main musical genre by far is easy listening, but there are a bit of big band and swing sounds too. The main theme explored here is romantic male-female relationships. Most of these songs either pine for, or celebrate, love. It should be stated that for the most part the kind of love spoken of on this record is puppy love and very feeling based. I'm not saying that's wrong, but if you're looking for something deep you won't find it here. Some of the instruments used are sax, clarinet, harmonica, and acoustic and archtop guitar. I'm rating this album 89% and recommending it to fans of Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Billie Holiday. For more info visit www.marklowry.com or connect with him on social media.