As a tribute to Margaret Whiting: a timeless ‘hits collection’ from one of the great stars of the 40s, who died in January 2011, aged 86.

Margaret Whiting (1924-2011) was one of the most successful female vocalists of the Forties. Alongside Dinah Shore, Jo Stafford and Doris Day, she represented the smooth, stylish approach to the interpretation of standard ballads and popular numbers.

Retrospective’s 'That Old Black Magic' (the title of her first chart entry, which made her a star) offers a tremendous 27-track collection that includes many of Margaret Whiting's 50 or so hits, among them three million sellers: the British song A Tree In The Meadow, her duet with country star Jimmy Wakely, Slippin’ Around, and her famous theme song with trumpeter Billy Butterfield, Moonlight In Vermont.

After hits with the bands of Freddie Slack (Hit The Road To Dreamland), and Paul Weston (It Might As Well Be Spring), she then went on to score a string of major solo hits, such as Far Away Places, You Do, Forever and Ever and the beautiful Maori farewell song Now Is The Hour (a No.2 hit that closes the CD).

Margaret Whiting made popular recordings with other duet partners too: Johnny Mercer (Baby, It's Cold Outside – a No.3 hit), Dean Martin and Bob Hope. With Bob she sings Ain't We Got Fun?, a song written by her composer-father Richard Whiting, who also wrote her big hits My Ideal and Guilty.

Here is the best of a very fine and sadly missed singer.

Track Listing:
1. That Old Black Magic
2. Hit The Road To Dreamland
3. My Ideal
4. Moonlight In Vermont
5. It Might As Well Be Spring
6. Come Rain Or Come Shine
7. Guilty
8. Oh, But I Do!
9. Beware, My Heart
10. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
11. This Can’t Be Love
12. Old Devil Moon
13. You Do
14. Pass That Peace Pipe
15. But Beautiful
16. A Tree In The Meadow
17. Far Away Places
18. While The Angelus Was Ringing
19. Forever And Ever
20. A Wonderful Guy
21. Younger Than Springtime
22. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (with Johnny Mercer)
23. Slippin’ Around (with Jimmy Wakely)
24. Ain’t We Got Fun? (with Bob Hope)
25. I’m In Love With You (with Dean Martin)
26. A Bushel And A Peck (with Jimmy Wakely)
27. Now Is The Hour