Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just For You

Your eyes do not deceive you--that is indeed the actor Joe Pesci on the cover of this album of "songs," which includes one celebrity "rap." In the annals of celebrity musical undertakings, Pesci's disc does not approach the sublimely horrible work of, say, William Shatner. And the disc is intended to be humorous, as Pesci revisits the character Vincent LaGuardia Gambini from the Oscar-winning hit My Cousin Vinny. Fans of that film and of Pesci's wise-guy character acting will no doubt look beyond the disc's major faults and just enjoy it as a good laugh. It does bear noting, however, that the guy has no business even pretending to sing (let alone rap); he's more in love with words like "bitch" and "fuck" than a hyperactive delinquent 13-year-old, and the lounge- and swing-inspired music is uninspired hack work. There is a cleaned-up version of the disc, but it's hard to imagine there being much left after the edits. --Mike McGonigal