5 comments about My Shining Hour.

1. Not many singers are worthy of that phrase "jazz diva", but Miss Whitfield is, she delivers all of her songs(which are jazz standards), with thier original verses. She always is backed by tasteful small jazz combos, and she improvises lighly, and has a bell like clarity to her singing. She has a style all her own, those who appriciate good caberet singer, or jazz singers will enjoy this fine set.



2. Just listen to the music samples and hear why wesla is the finest cabaret singer today. She chooses songs that aren't sung everyday, and mixes them in with familiar standards. Wesla's voice is romantic, charming, and charismatic. Mike Grinell's arrangements and piano playing are superp and add the right amount of jazz to all of her projects. This cd is essential for Wesla sings the verses to all of these songs, you will be amazed how different a familiar standard sounds like with it's verse, the way it was meant to be heard. I know many pro jazz singers and musicians who go out of thier way to see Wesla perform and buy her recordings so they too can learn these forgotten verses. A great cd all the way thru. [...]



3. Voice alone is not a qualifier for a good cd, but what a combination when you have a good voice and the greatest songs ever writtten. There are many people with good voices that flop(Harry Connick, Jr). There needs to be many other factors to go along with that voice.

   Now for the cd in review, I first would like to say that Weslia has a romantic voice(so waht), her voice is so much more than romantic, it's feeling, warm and touches your solu, it swings, it understands every word. This is good one!

   For the real reasons to buy this 10 star cd we have two parts. First, the repertoire that Weslia performs IS what I would call romantic and she doesn't just sing typical standards, she unearths the forgotten gems, making her a jazz musicians singer. It's not one of those stupid standard romantic tunes albums taht Natalie Cole did, that we have come to know and cherish, and have heard way too many times(talk about making me want to throw up).

   Secondly, the band REALLY plays in a romantic, jazz based, retro and modern at the same time style. It appears that the band plays in a MAGNIFICENT style. the band hits some hot jazz chords and that helps Weslia be more adventurous in her approach to the music. The way it appears to me, Weslia is having a great time singign with her husband/pianists jazz combo. If this is the case then I think Weslia might continue recording with Grinsell's group forever, I hope thay always perform as a team, no two people on earth or in history ever sounded better or more perfectly matched musically then Wesla & Mike. I feel like tese are the PERFECT arrangements. Also, there is so much variety to the tempos of the songs from song to song so eventaully the songs will all run together. That's why variety is so, so important, and taht's why this is the perfect cd.

   Recommendation: I can not honestly give a buy signal for this cd. Not only that buy one for every memebr of your family, they'll thank you for it.




4. Thank God Wesla Whitfield digs really deep when choosing her repertoire, a mixture of familiar standards and lesser known gems! And lucky for us, she happens to be married to the greatest jazz pianist/arranger around today. Wesla Whitfields voice is extremely romantic as are her faultless and amorous arrangements by Greensill. Her voice is hauntingly gorgoues(singing in the tradition of Lee Wiley, Chris Connor, Blossom Dearie, Ella Fitzgerald, exe...), she ghas perfect pitch, and diction too. thankfully she does't just stick to the dame old Arlen standards sure she does do the typical Over The Rainbow and Ill Wind, but the real treats are Happy As The Day Is Long and Let's Take The Long Way Home. She has a natural knck for bringing the beauty of a songs lyrics out, and it's obvous here that Whitfiled and Greensill love and respect these great jazz standards. This cd and all of their collaborations are worth searching out, as they make such romantic, classy and jazzy music together. Recommended highy



5. I own many of Wesla's recordings. This is one of my favorites. Wesla often jokingly refers to the "tragic ballads" with which she is so well-identified. Well, there are many fine selections in evidence here.

   For example, "Someone At Last." Lyrics for this tune obviously were written before the days of women's liberation! lol But the melody and interpretation are gorgeous and sweet. Michael Moore's accompaniment on bass is achingly beautiful. "One for My Baby" is so open -- raw, even -- that I've wondered if it might have been recorded in the wee hours (a quarter to three, that is). This is a searing, authentic interpretation of a classic tune.

   If you prefer a lighter style, you'll enjoy "Let's Take the Long Way Home," "Let's Fall in Love" and "As Long as I Live." All three are light and fun.

   All in all, this CD is worth every penny and proves once again why Wesla Whitfield and her able arranger/pianist/husband Michael Greensill are two of the very best at what they do.

1 comments about Nuit et Brouillard.

1. JEAN FERRAT's is both a engaged songwriter and a man who can write beautiful meaningful songs of everyday life. He is also a long time admiror of poet LOUIS ARAGON ,whose poetry he has set to music. Volume 1 and 2 of this collection is well worth buying,giving full proof of his talent.A BRASSENS and PAUVRE BORIS are his tribute to GEORGE BRASSENS and BORIS VIAN. When JEAN started singing in the sixties, he was a real curiosity since ye ye music was in vogue.In one of his first song NUIT ET BROUILLARD ,he even said:even if i must TWIST the words ,i'll do it.JEAN FERRAT was never a showbusiness puppet, and that's the reason his fans have remained faithful to him.

No comments about Fleur de Paris.

5 comments about Girl.

1. This deserves a million out of five because this is the funniest thing I have ever heard.



2. If you are interested in Tiny but don't know much about him, or if you are building a collection, this one is essential. Tiny was involved in an unfortunate number of cheesy productions after the early Reprise recordings, so I am forever grateful that he left us on this very high note.
   The wonderful thing about Tiny Tim was that he was at once a very savvy song stylist with an unparalled knowledge of popular music history and an utterly genuine eccentric who used his gifts and deep love of music in startlingly strange and wonderful ways. Listen, then, to Tiny the vaudevillian, singing the marvelous 'Sly Cigarette', a show-tune from 1898. Then there is Tiny opening up his great, big pipes and singing 'That Old Feeling'. Beautiful!! Then the infectious 'Bye Bye Blackbird, which makes me want to jump around the room. And of course that incredibly weird and compelling cover of 'Stairway to Heaven', done in perfect lounge-lizard persona. There are some turkeys here, it is true, but they are safely outnumbered by the gems. It's just a great cd.
   I must not neglect to mention the wonderful Brave Combo, who bring great virtuosity, imagination, and life to the entire production. Don't miss this one.



3. I remember seeing Tiny Tim playing a club a few months before he passed on.'Girl' is an okay CD,but then again,I just basically went to see him play mostly because I figured he wouldn't be around much longer.Unfortunately for his fans,I was right.I did,however end up having a decent time.I've always thought Tiny Tim was good at what he did,playing Vaudeville-like novelty pop songs while mastering(if you can master)his ukelele.I'm sure very few other artists could get away with it,much less lasting as long in the music business as long as Tim did.His back-up band on this CD was Brave Combo(didn't care that much for them).Tracks that I thought sort of stood out on their own were "Over The Rainbow","New York,New York",if you can believe it,Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" and a couple of Beatles covers,the title cut "Girl" and "Hey Jude".I've heard that Tim had a musical repertoire of over 1,200 songs.Sure most of them were old corny two minute ditties.I've also heard several other music buffs say his falsetto vocals can never be matched.But,what the hey?It's Tiny Tim.



4. THIS IS A GREAT CD. TINY TIM COVERS A LOT OF GROUND. THE SOUND QUALITY IS CRYTAL CLEAR. VERY LITTLE OF HIS TRADEMARK FALSETTO. INSTEAD WE GET TINY THE CROONER WITH LOTS OF VIBRATION IN HIS THROAT. NO-ONE COULD TOP THE BEATLES ON "GIRL" BUT TINY MAKES IT HIS OWN. HIS VERSION OF "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" IS THE SAME ARRANGEMENT USED BY PAT BOONE ( IN A METAL MOOD ). THE SONG IS JAZZ! FOR TRADITIONAL TINY TIM FANS THERE IS "OVER THE RAINBOW". HE STRUGGLES SLIGHTLY WITH THE HIGH NOTES BUT ULTIMATELY THIS CD IS A TRIUMPH FOR THE LATE, GREAT TINY TIM. GOOD LINER NOTES AND PHOTO OF TINY SHOPPING IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE DIAPERS AISLE. THIS IS GOOD STUFF.
   THIS IS ONE OF THE RARE TINY TIM CD THAT MAY BE ENJOYED BY A LARGER AUDIENCE. I RATE IT HIGH BECAUSE I "GET" IT AND MY REVIEW IS GEARED TOWARDS TIM FANS. IF YOU DON"T HAVE A VERY OPEN MIND OR ARE NOT ALREADY A TIM FAN BUYER BEWARE.
   THOSE WHO HAVE JUST DISCOVERED TINY TIM FROM SHOWS SUCH AS HOWARD STERN WILL FIND THIS A GREAT STARTER CD.



5. It's hard to give 5-stars to an album by the guy who made "Tip Toe Through the Tulips" a big hit, but this album deserves it. Many people don't take Tiny very seriously, although if you can believe it, the official website says he took himself seriously. This is not really a serious album, but who says music has to be serious? It is great fun and shows what a great talent Tiny really was. Not everyone will like his singing, as he switches from his beautiful deep baritone voice into a falsetto one and back again in some of the songs. These songs are great fun and Tiny has his own way of making old standards sound like completely new songs. Tiny's voice practically "vibrates" at times and while his fans like this aspect, it can irritate some listeners. I think this album is a real classic and it is very unique; not like anything else out there. You'll either love it or hate it. I loved it.

No comments about I Am the Shadow of the Songs.

No comments about Sarah Vaughan Sings for Lovers.

1 comments about I Like Jazz: The Essence of Billie Holiday.

1. i had a three cd set of billie, and i lost the first disc, which included some of my favorite songs by her. so, i went looking for one with the songs i was missing (mostly All of Me, and What a Little Moonlight Can Do),and this is the one i found. It was definitely a good choice! I know there a few versions of her doing All of Me (which is my absolute favorite song by her), and this has the best one. Also, her redition of They Can't Take That Away From Me is great, but then so are all of the rest of the songs. This is one of the cheaper cd's of hers, but I believe it is one of the best, without getting more than one disc.

5 comments about Feels Like Home.

1. Any thing Norah Jones does is great. She can sing anything. I listen to this CD everyday!!!



2. Didn't receive CD - tried to then cancel so it would never be shipped as I heard it and didn't like it at all, it was not and I was still charged. Need to have charge removed. Also the other item I ordered was more money that what was stated at the time.



3. Though I initially had problems with receiving the product, my second attempt at contacing Customer Sevice quickly resolved the problem.
   
   CD is great as well.



4. What a beautiful voice! I could listen to her for hours and hours! The music is palatable and soothing, kind of a folksy jazz. If you like Anita Baker, Carole King, and Anne Wilson, you'll like Norah-just wonderful. I'll copy this review on her two other most recent works, as it applies there as well. She has established and proven herself, with a wide-enough body of work, so that she deserves all the recognition, for a wonderful talent, that she gets, and then some!



5. As a wonderful gift from my much more musically-astute son and daughter in-law, this was my first introduction to Norah Jones. I'm now a fan.
   
   Although the daughter of Ravi Shankar of '60's sitar fame, the Eastern influences she undoubtedly must have are not evident. All vocals, some covers, mostly her own excellent music and introspective lyrics ("What Am I to You?" is extraordinary). Her presentation is unlike any I've heard exactly - slow, soft, low key, jazz-influenced, subtle. A little country, but not much. Slow tempos, almost rhythm-less, nicely paced. Hard to define, seemingly many different influences, possibly even a stylistic throwback to earlier times, maybe the '30-'40's. Very far removed from rock or pop or up-tempo jazz, would not appeal to everyone.
   
   Her clear, unadorned vocals are backed by a small, excellent, mostly acoustic (yes, and handsome!) band. The recording is very well balanced, specifically not at all over-produced or commercial-sounding.
   
   Very, very well done - not for the car sound system in traffic, deserves to be heard in a quiet environment on a good system, ideally with your soulmate. An absolute breath of fresh air for good music lovers!

No comments about The Legendary Edith Piaf.

No comments about The Rodgers & Hammerstein 50th Anniversary Collection.