by Jason AnkenyThis Is the Life pairs crooner Matt Monro with arranger Sid Feller for a collection of standards and ballads that incorporates elements of contemporary pop and jazz but never does so at the expense of its sophistication or hard-fought maturity. The cover--with Monro sandwiched between a pair of fabulous babes--sets the tone for the music inside: this is effervescent, celebratory pop for and by adults. Feller's ripe arrangements beautifully complement the restrained drama of Monro's vocals, and the songs--"Strangers in the Night," "Sweet Lorraine" and "Merci Cherie" among them--are perfectly calibrated to his almost-effortless interpretive brilliance. (Reissued on CD on an EMI Gold twofer alongside its sublime follow-up Here's to My Lady.)