Much like the first volume,
Mermania!, Vol. 2
offers a stunning number of vintage
Ethel Merman
performances. The sound quality isn't anything to get excited about, but given the age of these recordings, it's about as quality as you can expect. This volume emphasizes
Irving Berlin
's deep catalog, including such compositions as
"There's No Business Like Show Business,"
along with a number of
Cole Porter
compositions. Unfortunately, many of these songs clock under a minute, though the other half of the 28 songs are of more standard length. Essentially,
offers a respectable sampling of
Merman
's work, including a number of better-known songs such as
"Lady With a Song,"
even if there are other collections that are both more comprehensive and more enlightening than this one. ~ Jason Birchmeier