Customer Reviews

Baby I'm Yours

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

 

 

In the last 20 years or so, Maureen McGovern has concentrated on recording jazz albums and revisiting, as she calls it, "The Great American Songbook": the standards from the great composers of the first half of the 20th century. For those who may have not followed her career very closely, she'll always be viewed as the "Disaster Theme Queen" (her term, not mine). Beginning with her only #1 hit and signature song from 1973, "The Morning After" from "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), her hits (almost all ballads) seemed to only come from films and TV: "We May Never Love Like This Again" from "The Towering Inferno" (1974)--both "Morning" and "Never" would receive the Oscar those years for Best Original Song; the exquisite "Can You Read My Mind?", from the late Christopher Reeve's original "Superman" from 1978, and I remain dumbfounded how that hauntingly beautiful song never even received an Oscar nomination for Best Song!; and her Top 20 disco hit from 1979, "Different Worlds," from ABC's short-lived (two seasons) TV series "Angie," which starred Donna Pescow, who played John Travolta's jilted dance partner in "Saturday Night Fever."

Baby I'm Yours, from 1992, is a love song in the form of a CD from Maureen to her favorite hits from her youth and is the most "pop"-sounding album she's probably recorded in the last two decades. Blessed with a clear, soaring soprano of an innumerable-octave range, McGovern has been justifiably referred to as The Stradivarius Voice. It's not a misnomer; her voice is truly that gifted.

The title cut is a sultry, rhythmic reworking of the Barbara Lewis classic. "Sincerely," "It's All in the Game," and "You Belong to Me" are faithful and delightful interpretations of the original '50s recordings by The McGuire Sisters, Tommy Edwards, and Jo Stafford, respectively. McGovern's love for The Beatles is obvious in this collection, which includes "I Will" (a sweet, bright reading) and a sad, almost wistful medley of "Things We Said Today" and "For No One."

Legendary songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David are very well represented here as well, as McGovern provides us with "Are You There (With Another Girl)?", which opens the album, along with "Blue on Blue" (who knew this Bobby Vinton ditty was written by Bacharach?) and "Anyone Who Had a Heart," which was a hit in the U.S. by Dionne Warwick and in the U.K. by Dusty Springfield.

And speaking of Dusty, the best cut on this album by far is her powerful, exceptional reading of Springfield's classic "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me." This recording is worth the price of the album alone. McGovern's own liner notes show that she was obviously a big fan of Springfield, and her superb reworking of Dusty's smash is a glowing testimonial indeed. The early Paul Anka standard "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" is transformed into a sexy, kittenish tease that works a lot better for this listener than Anka's original version; sorry, Paul.

Having passed the age of 50 and nearing three decades of recorded music, Maureen McGovern is known today for her jazz and big-band concerts, frequent solo recordings with pianist Mike Renzi, and performances on and tireless work for the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethons. Fully-orchestrated pop albums are few and far between for this phenomenal vocalist, so this one is an absolute must for the discerning listener who appreciates a singular talent that could come from nowhere but Above. Lots of fun filled with lots of memories.

Rating: **** (out of 5)...Updated from original review, 26 Sept 06--BOB BOURBEAU

McGovern has always had a beautiful voice, but she outdoes herself with this soulful set. All the songs here are sung an octave higher than I had heard her sing before, and it was almost like hearing a completely new singer. My personal favorites are "Blue on Blue" and "You Belong to Me", the best renditions I've ever heard of either classic. This disc is a keeper for fifties baby boomers who grew up with these songs and loved them.

If you like Maureen McGovern, then this is the one for you. She takes some of the old rock 'n' roll and jazzy hits from the 60s and 50s and turns them into something great. " I Will" is just beautiful, and "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" is the best of the cd. Of course "Baby I'm Yours" is good as well as "Sincerely". I recomend this to any one!

This 90s release is the "Morning After" chanteuse's fond tribute to 15 classics from the 50s and 60s (one tune--"You Can Close Your Eyes" by James Taylor--is actually a 1970 song, but fits stylistically with the other tracks. McGovern has a really lovely voice, which had greatly matured since her "disaster queen" days. The musical and vocal arrangements also give the songs a fresh modern feel. The most notable tracks for me: Bacharach's ARE YOU THERE WITH ANOTHER GIRL is given a bright staccato treatment; the Beatles are represented twice-the plaintive and melodic I WILL and the medley of THINGS WE SAID TODAY/FOR NO ONE, both focusing on Maureen's clear vocals; SINCERELY and YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME show McGovern's ability to belt out a song; the playfulness of GONNA GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU NOW, including a fun electric violin solo; the elegant simplicity of BLUE ON BLUE and the potent heartache of ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART.
BABY I'M YOURS is an entertaining collection, a nostalgic journey to a memorable musical era.

Why this great singer is not more popular - well, I predict that she will become the great voice of our great American art form - the song.

I have always been a fan of Maureen's since I heard her sing in person 25, or so, years ago. Unfortunately, that time period seems to be exactly where these unimaginitive, Karoke-styled arrangements have been lifted from. Her voice is still there; untouched yet more disappointingly, unchallanged. This album lacked imagination, and strong presentation necessary to make it at best, interesting. Bottom line, poor arrangements, weak vocals and looser music direction.