Mellifluous tones of Tim McCarver!

I bought this CD as a joke, but decided to listen to it and I was blown away. Who would have thought that the whinny guy doing MLB games has deep inside him the voice of a warbling nightingale? From the first song through the last, I sat with rapt attention and was moved by the timbre of his melodies and how he hit certain notes made my insides go all soft and gushy. The man has translated his range behind the plate to the musical scales with aplomb and temerity, but pulls it off like the sizzle of a New York summer.

My absolute favorite and one that I will play at my wedding, my kid's graduation, and all other times when loving people are gathered is the second song, "This Will Be My Shining Hour." Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Liza, Frankie, and Babs all sang their own versions, but when you hear Timmy Mac's crooning stylization and dare I say provocative interpretation of this classic, I promise you that you will get a little misty.

It has been said that every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings. I would like to add that every time Tim McCarver reaches that high note those angels look down upon us and smile...

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nray57

It's a Home Run! That's good for the person who hit the ball, but not good for the person that threw the ball.

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

When you just can't get enough of Tim McCarver during your beloved Cardinals broadcasts, this is the perfect solution! Dig out an old CD player that one of your kids left behind in their old room, set it up with this CD, and keep it ready. For those games without Tim, you can just let it play in the background. That way you don't have to suffer through the game without him. Just listen to the lyrics and try to relate them to the game - it's just like when he is actually trying to talk about the game! This was the perfect parting gift for a close co-worker. It brought tears to our eyes.

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2012

Verified Purchase

I bought this for a friend who didn't believe me when I told him Tim McCarver sings, and a pretty good one at that. Some good tunes on this album, and the fact that it's Tim McCarver singing makes it extra awesome.

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Russ

This will be exactly what you expect

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

Precisely what you'd imagine it to be.

He does make an earnest effort.

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Beth Waite

am sure she will love it!

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2015

Verified Purchase

It's a gift...am sure she will love it!

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2015

GREAT DEALS

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2009

Tim Lincecum might have a bionic arm, but surely Tim McCarver has a bionic throat, delivering just a stunningly gutty performance that's not afraid to celebrate music the traditional way with hard vocal work that just sings the songs *right*. As Tim McCarver is fond of saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and in the process of listening to an entire great American songbook, your brain will take you away to anywhere between three and seven pictures, idylls and reveries that tap into the collective unconscious memory of what it meant to walk amidst eden. Each song is delivered with what I can only describe as a kind of calm-eyed beauty that seems to recursively calm the process of singing the song itself. Indeed, Tim McCarver is so supremely convinced of the sublimity of his own delivery and interpretation that perhaps even Tim McCarver would say that Tim McCarver has gotten to Tim McCarver. Slight disappointment that this album does not include the rumored covers of Brandon Arroyo's songs, nor does McCarver follow his broadcast partner and Natalie Cole's lead and do a duet with his own dead father, but easily the quality of what remains overshadows that shame. This offering presents a real change-up from the rest of Tim McCarver's career. Well, they call change-ups like that "cement mixers," so don't let it throw you a curve. Bear down and take it in stride, and soon it'll have you trying to "sing" for the fences. This is a musical feast fit for a Jeter.

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Full Count of Americana

Where Jazz and Baseball Meet

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2010

Tim McCarver matches his career .388 slugging percentage with this tour de force debut album. Tim McCarver Sings Selections from the Great American Songbook is a must-own for any fan of baseball, jazz music, and the smoky club where the two cohabitate and flourish.

From the very first note of the leadoff track "On a Clear Day" through the ever-so-slightly different notes that follow, McCarver paints a brilliant and lavishly taupe portrait of the American landscape. Immediately thereafter, the crooner transitions to an instant classic as he proclaims "This Will Be My Shining Hour." Some might argue this is an overstatement for a big league baseball player who once led the National League with 13 triples; however, a second and third listen reveal that McCarver's vocals shine through the following eight tracks with the radiant luster of a stainless steel refrigerator. Surprisingly, McCarver then makes the album's one minor misstep with "I Wish I Didn't Love You So." While not dog-howlingly bad by mortal means, McCarver ignores the signal to take a 3-0 pitch with the bases loaded and instead swings away at Frank Sinatra. On the heels of ten great tracks, McCarver pops up and is out by way of the infield fly rule. Fortunately, the singer regains his composure and finishes strong, ending the album with three resurgent tracks including the penultimate ballad "I Wish I Were in Love Again" and the nearly jubilant "Day By Day."

On July 4, 1976, Tim McCarver belted a grand slam homerun but was called out for passing a teammate on the base path, thereby making his hit a single. On this CD, McCarver belts a grand slam with each hit single by calling out my heart. Whereas The Beatles offered us a long and winding road, McCarver's equable brand of Americana is a journey across western Nebraska on I-80... A journey which reinforces the undeniable proclamation that Tim McCarver is America; Tim McCarver is all of us; Tim McCarver is... you.

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Sings Selections from The Great American Songbook

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