Recorded at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, California on July 17, 18, 20-27, 1998. Includes liner notes by Harry Connick, Jr.

COME BY ME was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

By 1999, Harry Connick, Jr. found himself in a curious place. Undoubtedly, he was one of the artists that kick-started the whole neo-swing movement that peaked in the late '90s. However, he was always too serious and traditional -- too much of a musician, really -- to fit in with the likes of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Furthermore, he was too much of a veteran. When he was reviving swing, it was in the late '80s, when nobody else believed it could be hip again. Surely, he must have been a little irked when he saw legions of groups that were nowhere near as musically fluent or as knowledgeable as he was cultivate huge followings. So, there was only one solution -- return to big-band swing, after years of attempting some sort of amorphous New Orleans funk and R&B. Of course, he'd probably be offended if anyone suggested that Come by Me was actually a response to neo-swing, but it's easy to interpret it that way, especially since he shows what the younger swing groups are missing. Connick knows what makes big bands work. He makes the classics sound fresh and newer songs sound like classics. More importantly, age suits him well; he no longer sounds like a young kid singing his father's music, he sounds natural and inspired. True, he occasionally sounds a bit too close to Sinatra for some tastes, but at least he can really sing, along with knowing how to make a big band swing, which, ironically, not all neo-swing acts can do. That alone makes Come by Me a welcome comeback. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

COME BY ME is a great place to start for those not yet familiar with the wonderfully talented Harry Connick, Jr. For COME BY ME, Connick reunited his 16-piece Big Band, teamed up with longtime producer Tracey Freeman, and brought in a full symphony orchestra. The result is a stellar collection of standards and originals.

The album kicks off with two original numbers--"Nowhere With Love" and "Come By Me," the latter a rollicking New Orleans stomper that features some extraordinary key tingling by Connick. With his Big Band,and a string section, Connick gives the Henry Mancini classic "Charade" a double time rendition. Irving Berlin's "Change Partners" features equally lush orchestration, while the original "Easy For You To Say" shows these masters' influence on Connick's writing. To close the record, the Big Band and orchestra join forces on a swingin' version of Cole Porter's "Love For Sale. Connick excells, whether delivering jazz, standards, New Orleans funk, or Big Band. Pick up COME BY ME and get hooked.