Connie had previous recordings on the MGM label with a similar ‘international’ flavor, which seemed to be as de rigueur back then as the International House of Pancakes restaurant chain, which was created in the late 1950's. The jet age made neighboring continents more easily reachable and of more in interest in popular culture.

The MGM albums “Italian Favorites” and “Spanish Favorites” were both impressively, if not flawlessly, performed in ‘native tongues.’ One might have predicted an album of French love songs to follow, but instead, Connie (born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero in Newark, NJ) chose the challenge of tackling a set of traditional Yiddish folk songs! (Oy, the tsuris of being a female pop icon in the Eisenhower era…) It should be noted that Connie, no slouch in the sales department, had a lot of sechel at marketing and selling her unique blend of pop, jazz, and country. She had the ability to articulate the emotions of any song with her powerhouse voice. Connie’s music, equally beautiful, buoyant, and poignant, was always capable of ‘taming the beast, soothing the wounded heart, and lifting the fallen spirit,” says just one of the many Connie Francis fan websites.

For you trivia buffs, it should be noted that Connie’s last name “Francis” was the idea of radio host Arthur Godfrey, host of a show in the 1940s called “Startime.” Arthur had trouble pronouncing her real last name so Arthur decided to give her an easy-to-pronounce Irish name. At first, Connie objected saying, “My father would kill me!”… not when he started seeing some of Connie’s residual checks!

Connie’s string of rock and roll hits starting in the late 1950s was legendary… “Stupid Cupid” and “Lipstick On Your Collar,” with twangy country flavored sides added to her canon like “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own,” and her last big chart topper in 1962, “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You.”

On this album, Connie’s ability to fluidly master the Yiddish and Hebrew accents is amazing. The woman is simply cantor-esque! Connie actually delivers “Shein Vi De Levone” with a slight Oklahoma drawl, but it only adds to the color. Like Sinatra, Connie is highly adept at making a song her own by putting in little signature flourishes.

Listen to this collection’s opener, “Tzena Tzena,” for the hypnotic beat of Havah Negilah (I wish I could have had this version sung at my Bar Mitzvah), and the triumphant closer “Mom-E-Le,” and you will immediately realize how amazingly seductive Yiddish standards can be! Shocking that no James Bond film was ever filmed in Israel…

After experiencing the inspirational splendor of Connie’s musical Bat Mitzvah soundtrack, you will be convinced she is a stellar talent, an “uber-shikse,” as it were. Connie continues working today, some 50 years after her auspicious debut. She sings a wide range of her big band, rock and roll, country, and ethnic favorites. Connie is still as elegant and truly beautiful as ever… Her music is her passion, and ours. Can the “Connie Francis Sings Hip-Hop” collection be far off?