Hughie Mac’s “Sings Some Great Songs Vol. 4”

Hughie Mac’s Sings Some Great Songs Vol. 4 is the latest in the East Coast singer/crooner’s ongoing series of recordings drawing from 20th-century American music. Mac has made much of his reputation on the fact that genre, ultimately, means very little to him – he does not betray any less comfort for singing songs twenty years old as he does fifty-year-old tracks and whatever lies between. His interpretive skills allow him the rare latitude to slip into the skin of several different performers seemingly at will as the stylistic range he covers on this latest volume in the series is nothing less than stunning. 

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He has an undeniable penchant for mid-20th-century pop. His take on the venerable “Almost Like Being in Love” captures much of the sprightly hop of promise listeners have enjoyed from this and songs like it for well over half a century. His performances of songs such as this underline the elastic art of American pop of that era, once derided as a fad or shallow concoction, has endured. “The Twelfth of Never” and “All of Me” are efforts in a similar vein. These are DIY efforts, without question, but the merits of Mac’s vocals keep them far removed from anything resembling low rent territory. His love for Jimmy Buffett comes through in the songs “Changes in Latitudes” and the later “Cheeseburger in Paradise”.

The latter, in particular, excels thanks to a Mac vocal that nails down the required energy. Some singers would just let it rip on a song such as this but take note of how Mac is always careful about balancing personality with power. Another personal favorite coming through on Volume 4 and earlier releases is the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. “My Way” should be intimidating for any singer, but you do not hear any hesitation from Mac. He tackles the track with respect and the appropriate amount of pathos.

“New York, New York” elicits one of his strongest vocals as Mac ably responds to the physical challenge of embodying America’s largest city, the legendary Big Apple, in its defining song. One of the more surprising, yet immensely satisfying, moments arrives with the inclusion of Glen Campbell’s “Galveston”. It is ill-advised, in some ways, without being able to reliably reproduce Campbell’s quintessential guitar solo, but Mac succeeds in other areas. It achieves some of the same sweep present in the original and provides an entertaining listening experience. 

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The joy he brings to Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky” will put a smile on many faces and his rendition of the romantic favorite “It Had to Be You” holds up remarkably well given the song’s extensive history. Hughie Mac wouldn’t have embarked on such an ambitious project, essentially covering the expanse of 20th century American popular music in nearly all its forms, unless he was certain he could pull it off. He has and there is little evidence that he’s done with the release of his latest album, Sings Some Great Songs Vol. 4.

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Cleopatra Patel

Surat, GJ. (IND) 

5/2022