Customer Reviews

At the Beginning

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love to take chances on singers who are previously unknown to me especially if the repertoire is different and eclectic from the many other singers who make up the bourgeoning Cabaret scene in the United States. I have also grown to trust Lee Lessack and his label LML for the singers who make up the artists on his label. This is why I took a chance on Stacy Sullivan: At the Beginning. I am glad that I did. I found another keeper for my vocalist collection. Stacy Sullivan choice of material ranges from Berlin and Gershwin to Amanda McBroom (A cabaret favorite) to Noel Coward to Michel Legrand to the old guard of Broadway new breed of Broadway composers in Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Aherns to several composers who are new to me and deserve a wider audience. For the record they are Heather Sullivan & Ron Alan Cohen; Jan Powell & Ken Stone; David Ackus; Stephen Hoffman & Mark Campbell.

The songs are arranged and orchestrated by the amazing John Boswell who works with many of the artists on the LML label. It is amazing how he finds different sounds for each of the artists and makes their songs different from one another. Boswell is a master at what he does and also plays a beautiful piano and does backup vocals as well on the recording.

Stacy takes familiar songs like "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "On Broadway" and does in a way I never heard before. The songs are usually down as big blow out ballads and thanks to Boswell's arrangements make the quiet introspective numbers.

This for me is the selling point of this CD. It is beautiful relaxing recording that after a long day at work it is the perfect CD to pop into your player. The whole album is a joy to listen to. I don't have just one favorite I loved hearing all thirteen tracks and you can't say that very often.

I just loved this CD ... it was full of soul inspiring songs that I loved. Stacy sang the standards that I grew up with and her Once Upon a Time is my New favorite of that old standard. I hope that others find this CD of interst to them. This is a beautifully produced and sung album. I suggest this CD to anyone that wants to hear classy music from a classy lady.

This is a beautifully produced and sung album. Stacy Sullivan does a wonderful job on the material. Some of the slower songs were not as interesting (Don't Move a Muscle, Come the Wild, Wild Weather)on the first listen but may grow on me. Her interpretation of Irving Berlin's Always/Remember was incredibly beautiful and actually made me reappreciate a couple of songs with which I had grown a little bored. It always a pleasure to hear Ship in a Bottle and Once Upon a Time (two of my favourite songs) and even more of a delight to hear unfamiliar songs. It will be interesting to see if any of these new (to me) songs grow on me in the future.

This is the best new artist I have heard in a long time. The variety is unmatched. Some songs gave me the energy to get up and dance, while others took to a deep meditative state of awareness. I am blessed to have heard Stacy in person and she is a true professional. What a wave of emotions these songs and her voice can conjure up. She touches me where I live, in my heart.

If ever a CD mad me want to see someone perform in a small club, this has done it. Forbes FYI listed 20+ cabaret singers a few years back, and from the CD's this is the performer I would most like to see in a small club. Songs range from toe tappin cheerful (On Broadway, I know a place) to Moody (Come the wild wild weather). Composers range from Berlin, Gershwin & Noel Coward to Amnada McBroom, Heather Sullivan. I LOVE The Noel Colward Come the wild wild weather, wht its Celtic\Folk feeling. Her Once Upon a Time is my New favorite of that old standard. The variety of emotions, moods and styles would be great fun to see in a club. She has a wonderful voice which is enhanced by simple presentations. My biggest complaint is at 40+ mininutes it is too short. Depending on the listner any of the 13 songs could become your new favorite song. I like this better than Linda Eders first CD and look forward to more. She does not display the trained polished voice of her sister, KT Sullivan, but expresses the feeling and emotions better.

I get about 6 cabaret/vocal CDs a month, and this has been one of my favorites this year. I saw Stacy perform at the Cabaret Convention in San Francisco, and she was one of the few that made me tear up, with her song "Carpet Ride." This is a wonderful CD, with rich orchestrations, and a nice mix of familiar and obscure.

I have heard many voices, I have seen many singers, but I have never had the chance to hear an angel until now. Stacy makes my skin tingle with her passionate voice, she makes me cry by the sound of love in her voice. Stacy has a way of going deep into your soul, a place that very few artist can really go. I hope she'll be around for a long time to come.

Stacy has a pure, clear voice well suited to these songs that come from a variety of sources. There are only a few musicians, but they are used effectively and well.

There are a couple of sixties classics here. On Broadway, a hit for the Drifters, is given a completely different treatment here, and it works brilliantly. I know a place is also very different from the original hit by Petula Clark.

The Great American Songbook is represented by Someone to watch over me (George Gershwin), Always/Remember (an Irving Berlin medley) and Come the wild wild weather (Noel Coward).

The album is a generally mellow, reflective album by a wonderful singer. Although this album was released in 1999, it was not until many years later, after I originally posted this review, that the follow-up appeared, but it was well worth the wait.

You just can't listen to this CD without really feeling the deep commitment and genuine feelings that Stacy puts into every song. Each song is represented with a flair that says, "I own this now" which makes her music unique and stamped with her soul. She doesn't try to sound like someone else or imitate anyone. This is the true mark of exceptional talent. She is headed for the top. I think Grammy is in her near future.