Various Artists: 'Sir Michael Parkinson - My Life In Music'

When it comes to entertainment personalities, Michael Parkinson is up at the top. But releasing an album?

Before our older readers excitedly jump those few arthritic millimetres into the air, it seems only fair that I should clear up a couple of things. Firstly, how did you figure out how to use the internet? Secondly, the smooth-talking Yorkshireman has in fact sadly not entered the recording studios to cut his own record. Instead, Parkinson has struck a deal with Warner and released a seres of compilation albums in his own name. The rogue...

‘My Life In Music’ is the first in this series and, honestly, its content is pretty much what anyone might expect from Parky: namely heaps of jazz standards sung by the world’s greatest set of crooners, with a sprinkling of more contemporary material by folk such as Jamie Cullum and Madeleine Peyroux.

Not that this is such a bad thing if you’re into jazz, as the track listing spells out such classics as ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’, ‘Summertime’ and ‘Love For Sale’, sung by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Sammy Davis Jr. For someone who has had a pretty long life by anyone’s standards though, Parkinson has seemingly spent most of his musical time in the late 1950s. However, on occasion the tone changes briefly to a slightly less jazzy spectrum, showcasing the likes of Chris Rea, Dr John and Sting.

To briefly encapsulate the essence of this product then, it’s really not a bad buy if this kind of music is your thing, though there are plenty of similar better-focused compilation sets around for a little less money.

It's worth noting, however, that Christmas is just around the corner and your elderly relatives may be quite grateful to receive this double-CD package, endorsed by Parky himself. After all, chances are that Gran is getting a little fed up with the same box of Milk Tray every year, right?

Released on 3rd November 2008 by Warner Bros.

Written by Matt Blackwell.