1959 Shirley Bassey: As I Love You

Very much a singer's singer, Shirley Bassey is showgirl to the core to the extent that she'd play to the gallery even in a bungalow. Her performance here is no exception, but perhaps it should have been - underneath it all, 'As I Love You' has the heart of a tender ballad, but brassy Bassey slaps on the glitter and glue to belt it out like she's singing for her every supper past and to come. There's nothing wrong in playing to your strengths (and this kind of tinitus inducing oomph works wonders on showstoppers like 'Hey Big Spender'), but the music here simply can't contain the onslaught; it's too slight for that and as a result, Bassey colours outside of the lines at every opportunity to make 'As I Love You' a sloppy mix and match that's about as odd, unappetising and faintly nauseating as double cream poured over a bowl of dog food. Forgettable.