Customer Reviews

Anthology

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Judging by Sylvia's debut album. Drifter, full of western themes and images, and the albums that she has more recently recorded on her own independent label, it seems that Sylvia was always a traditional country singer at heart. However, she was required to sing pop country music and that is mostly what you get here. Whatever she felt about the style, she did a very professional job and the quality shines through on every track.

This album contains all Sylvia's hits for RCA. Drifter was her first country number one. Tumbleweed, The Matador, Heart on the mend and Sweet yesterday were four other hits from that sensational debut album. Nobody, her second number one, remains her most famous song. Snapshot was another huge hit - Sylvia says it was her second biggest seller, but it didn't make number one. Falling in love was her third number one. Brits will recognise Cry just a little bit, which was a pop hit for Shaking Stevens before Sylvia recorded it.

I'd love to see the whole Drifter album made available on CD, but I doubt if it will ever happen. Still, half the tracks are here and all Sylvia's other hits, so I'm not complaining, except that this album may now be hard to find. The more recent RCA country legends contains a few rarities and is great for those (like me) who already have this anthology, which remains the best Sylvia compilation so far released.

Sylvia's Anthology album is one of my favorite cd's. Her vocal talents are truly beautiful. I have bee a fan of Sylvia Hutton's since she first came out in 1981. I was thrilled that she has released a new cd intitled "The Real Story." I purchased it when it first came out and again I am impressed with her vocal talent. She is an incredible performer and I do highly recommend Anthology.

"Sylvia:Anthology" is a collection of 24 tracks covering the fairly short but successful career of Sylvia, now known as Sylvia Hutton. Each song features a short comment from Sylvia herself (on the included booklet, which also features a page showing Sylvia's eight album covers). No history to tell us more about this artist, but we do get her feelings on her songs. The songs themselves are rather catchy, reminicent of a lost era in country music. While I did not enjoy this CD incredibly, it is still a very good collection. The perfect, and basically only choice, for people who want to become fans of Sylvia, since her earlier releases seem to be very hard to find in stores. Once one has grown accustomed to listening to Sylvia's style, they may want to go onto "The Real Story," the first new release by Sylvia in about ten years. "Anthology" does not include any tracks from "The Real Story," so if one buys both then they basically have everything good about Sylvia's career. "Anthology" is one CD I am glad I have purchased and listened to. Not only do I hear classics like "Drifter," "Nobody," "Snapshot," and "One Step Closer," but I also hear unreleased tracks, like "Knockin' Around." This might be a hard thing to find in the stores, so if you want to buy it, you better take any opportunity you can get to get it. Record stores don't seem to remember Sylvia that well, and it is often rare to find her in any of them. Buy it now or it could be awhile before you get another opportunity to.

'The Matador' was the only reason I bought this; it can't be found on CD anywhere else at the moment. I did remember many of Sylvia's other songs, some of which are as good or better than 'The Matador,' but I was holding myself back from buying anything until a compilation which included 'The Matador' became available (Although this CD was originally issued in 1997, I just became aware of its existence; never seen it in a store). Frankly, I'm not normally a huge fan of super slick pop-country, and that is mostly what is offered here (I'm more of an alt. country, bluegrass and traditional country fan). What makes this material rise above its formulaic, by-the-numbers production, and the programmed dance beats that are layered over some of it, are Sylvia's gorgeous, rich voice, the warm personality that she projects (an appealing mixture of sweet and sexy), and the better than average quality of the songs (despite, in some cases, unimaginative arrangements). There were a couple of surprises waiting for me when I popped the CD into my changer for the first time: a drop-dead gorgeous cover version of The Association hit 'Never My Love,' which, with its arrangement of tinkling bells, electric sitar and vocoder effects, may be better than the original, and a truly lovely little ballad written by Sylvia herself. Called 'Straight From My Heart,' its chord progression and melody remind me of the kind of song Patsy Cline would have snatched up, had it been written back then. It would be a stretch to call these songs "country," but who cares, when they are so effective at communicating their emotions? These last two tracks have become instant favorite Sylvia songs. Although a few of the tunes on ANTHOLOGY could be termed, to quote Sylvia herself, "forgettable," the ones that are good or great easily make up for the two or three duds. At over 79 minutes, this CD could never be accused of being anything less than generous! The personal notes Sylvia has written about each number in the insert are an added bonus.

As far as I am concerned Sylvia is the greatest. I also have been an avid fan since her first recorded release. Her Anthology is absolutely wonderful as well is her new album The Real Story. I do not believe there is a singer out there who sings with such clarity, smoothness and compassion. I also think her live shows are a real treat and would go to them every time it's possible. A brilliant talent in singing and writing as well. Will always look forward to new recorded music by Sylvia.

Sylvia has finally made a long awaited return to the music scene. I thoroughly enjoy this cd. I do hope that she will follow suit of other artists and rerlease old vinyl albums on cd versions. Sylvia has a rare and true talent that is not as prevalent in music today. If more people heard her voice they'd be surprised it is country as it is really contemporary. With country mega stars like Faith Hill making the crossover to pop music, there is no reason the multi talented sylvia can't follow suit. This is an excellent compilation of many 80's hits plus some new songs too. I strongly recommend this cd.

In an era that's given us Shania and Garth, it's ironic that the original country one-name wonder is usually dismissed out of hand. Sylvia's music may at times be the equivalent of aural fluff, but in her defense it never pretended to be much else. And when she finds the right material, the results are actually rather affecting. Check out ballads like "Sweet Yesterday" and "Turn My Heart Away," and you'll realize how far from the mark New Country has fallen. And when tackling novelties like "Nothin' Ventured, Nothin' Gained" and "Knockin' Around," she proves herself the best showtune singer Disney never signed. All in all, a satisfying retrospective. Only one thump on the head goes to the compilers, for ommiting the James Galway duet "Wayward Wind," and "Makes You Wanna Slow Down," the single that should've been.

Sylvia's anthology is a true exsample of her wonderful voice and talent. The album is a must have for anyone who grew up in the 1980's.

I've been waiting so long for an album like this! Now I can put away the worn cassettes and here this wonderful cd of one of the best voices of the 80's. The songs on this cd bring back so many memories of being a child and young teen, listening to country music 24hrs a day. I love the selections on this cd and Sylvia has such a beautiful voice too. This is a must have cd, especially for those of us who grew up on 80's country!

This CD contains every single release by Sylvia when she was on RCA. Any true Sylvia fan has waited 10-15 years for this one. Plus, it has the extra songs from the new album she was working on when RCA and her parted ways. She has added great liner notes on every song in the CD booklet........this one is more than worth the bucks.

(The one single release missing is "The Wayward Wind" which was actually James Galway's single with Sylvia as a guest vocalist, so I digress.)

Don't forget Sylvia has a new CD called "The Real Story" which is great too!