In September ABC premiered the new show Pan Am, which focuses on the lives of the pilots and stewardesses who worked for the airline Pan American World Airways back in the early 1960′s. The show premiered to great ratings, but has been slowly fading since, and there has been a lot of speculation that the show has been canceled. ABC has denied such rumors however, and with Universal’s released of Pan Am, music from and inspired by the original series, it’s looking like the show may just survive being cut.
If you’ve watched the Pan Am series one of the things that may come to mind other than the retro fashion of the time, is the music. Call Me Irresponsible by Bobby Darin or Break It To Me Gently by Brenda Lee are instantly recognizable hits from that by gone era. New York City Blues by Peggy Lee and Blue Skies by Ella Fitzgerald will have you tapping your toes to the beat. This sort of music has been collected before, many times in fact, but every collection that comes out has their own distinct sound to them. In this case it’s a series of songs that would have been sung by lounge singers all across the continent. It’s not all original singers however on this album. The Beatles’ hit Do You Want To Know a Secret is covered by Nikki Jean, and it’s a version that gets stuck in your head. It has a retro sound to it that makes it fit in with all the other classics, and yet still sound fresh. Grace Potter takes her turn at singing the Frank Sinatra Classic Fly Me To The Moon, and much like Nikki Jean she sounds like she belongs in that time. There is even an instrumental track, from Jazz musician Count Baise that just fits with the rest of the album.
For those of you looking for more of a male influence this album won’t be for you, after all the Pan Am Soundtrack only has 5 of it’s 14 tracks performed by male artists (and one of them is instrumental). The music is soothing and relaxing though, and it’s perfect for a morning commute into work, or just lazing around at home when you are looking for a little down time. It’s a collection of music that really succeeds in taking you back in time.
Tags: blue skies, bobby darin, break it to me gently, Brenda Lee, call me irresponsible, do you want to know a secret, ella fitzgerald, fly me to the moon, Frank Sinatra, grace potter, is pan am cancelled, new york city blues, nikki jean, pan am, pan am soundtrack, pan american world airways, peggy lee, the beatles