As one of the U.K.'s most popular bandleaders of the 1950s, Edmundo Ros combined the pleasant accessibility of Xavier Cugat and Warren Covington's sweetened Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with hints of Ray Noble and Ted Heath. As a vocalist Ros seems to have patterned himself after Al Martino, Andy Williams, and Frankie Laine. During the ‘60s, more accurate comparisons could be drawn with Tom Jones and Trini Lopez, with Burt Bacharach also serving as a primary latter-day influence. Dutton Vocalion's Tonight's the Night: Decca Rarities unearths 31 Ros recordings dating from 1952-1963. In retrospect, his ‘50s output feels like a prelude to the flashy London Phase 4 Stereo LPs of the ‘60s. More than half of the selections on this collection feature Ros as a dapper and heavily mannered vocalist. The playlist combines attractive instrumentals like "Blue Tango," "The Kiss", "Saunabad," and "Mediterranean," with a pixilated grab bag of period novelties and pop hits. "Tonight's the Night" was Ros' broadcast theme song. "Desafinado" and "One Note Samba" represent his earliest maneuverings in the bossa nova groove.
Ros entertained for a full nine years at Monte Carlo, where on one auspicious occasion he presented a copy of "The Carnation Girl" to Aristotle Onassis' wife Tina. Whereas "La Chaconga" is verifiably hot, some of the material on this collection may come across today as rather silly. "A Bunch of Bananas," "Matilda," and "Jamaica Farewell" come from the Eisenhower-era commercial calypso and steel band repertoire, while "Jambalaya" and "Sixteen Tons" prove that Ros paid close attention to songs which had achieved enormous popularity in the broadcast and recording industries. "I Saw Essau," for example, was popularized by the Ames Brothers, and Ros was willing to try and cash in on it. Over the years, the cleverly worded "Istanbul" has been universally enjoyed, except of course by people of Armenian descent. "Don't Ring Da Bell" is a sort of Danny Kaye-styled bit of Italian kitsch, and may have been intended as a sequel to "Josephine Please No Lean on the Bell." If the Ros recording of "Scotland the Brave" sounds surprisingly OK, "Comin' Thro the Rye" has a more counterfeit air about it. Finally, do note that the surly, galloping "Robin Hood" was later lampooned by Monty Python's Flying Circus in their rambunctious pseudo-historical skit "Dennis Moore."