AllMusic Review by Dave Nathan In these days of too few male crooners, good or not so good, it's refreshing to have a Jim Porcella in the wings to come through with a CD of romantic ballads and that traditional pop which once dominated records and the airwaves, usually offered by male vocalists. Now most of the vocalizing comes from the distaff

AllMusic Review by Dave Nathan In these days of too few male crooners, good or not so good, it's refreshing to have a Jim Porcella in the wings to come through with a CD of romantic ballads and that traditional pop which once dominated records and the airwaves, usually offered by male vocalists. Now most of the vocalizing comes from the distaff side with the male counterparts definitely taking a back seat, with some notable exceptions such as Tony Bennett and Kenny Rankin. The newcomers on the gentleman side seem to favor a mix of hip and adult contemporary rather than the ardent approach to singing. Porcella is not bashful. He tugs at the heart strings with an intense statement on Carroll Coates' "Love Is Letting Go" as Joseph Hebèrt's sonorous, rich cello provides the tender underpinning. Even a Henry Mancini tune (to whom the album is dedicated), "Two for the Road," gets a more-than-usual sentimental treatment. Here the tone is set by electronically created strings and the real live guitar of Jim Nichols. But it's not all hearts and flowers. Porcella does a fun, sassy rendition of the title tune, "Life Is so Peculiar," riding over the deep tones of the wah-wah trombone of Mark Anderson. Matters get nice and sparkling when hard bop sax player Richie Cole shows up on a tongue-in-cheek "I Love You (Because You've Heard of Lester Young)," a charming "Daughter, Dear!," and a swinging "Pick Yourself Up" where Cole is allowed to stretch out. With his third album, Porcella once again shows that there is plenty of room in the vocal jazz scene for some good old-fashioned crooning