Customer Reviews

The Best of Rita Coolidge: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rita Coolidge has a pleasant and soothing if unexpressive voice, but on a track like "All Time High", she lets her voice soar and it's a knock-out. The other genuine standout on this excellent hits collection is "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love". She sings the melody the way it should. I've heard far more imaginatively arranged, energetic and superior versions of her biggest hits ("Higher & Higher", "The Way You Do The Things You Do", etc), but they're pleasant enough. That's the way singers did them in the 70s and Rita's no different. Whereas "We're All Alone" succeeds in this style, "Fever", "You" and "One Fine Day" only come across souless and mechanical. Then, there're a couple of treats for fans like an early live version of "Superstar", on which her voice sounds oddly wobbly, but you don't complain 'cos it's honest and touching. This is as good a Rita Coolidge hits collection as any available in the market.

The trouble with any collection of Rita Coolidge hits, is that Rita's hit singles are not her best recordings. Her cover of Boz Scaggs' 'We're All Alone' is her best "hit", and the lovely 'Id Rather Leave While I'm in Love' is another highlight. It's also interesting to hear Rita's live recording of Leon Russell's 'Superstar' from Joe Cocker's classic 'Mad Dogs & Englishmen' tour, Rita's very first recorded performance. But after that, there's not much here to recommend these tepid, radio freindly singles. You're better off getting her early 70's Rock/Folk albums, before she went adult contemporary, or her terrific 1998 return to her roots CD, 'Thinking About You'.

To the casual listener, some of these songs may sound a bit dated, being that most of them are from the late '70's. But it's hard not to find tracks like "Higher and Higher," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," and "You" infectious. And she still has a way with a good ballad ("Loving Arms" is a real treat).

From her previous "greatest hits" albums, this is the best Rita Coolidge collection because it includes my favorite song "All Time High" from the James Bond movie 'Octopussy' (sounds pornographic but it's not LOL). Her previous hit collections are either out of print/stock or don't contain that song so this is ideal for the casual and Rita fan. You need that song to complete her Billboard hit years.

Good packaging: liner notes, chart entries, and nice pictures. Highly recommended.

Nice compilation of tunes. My favs "we're all alone" "Id rather leave while im in love". Hey every dude has to have his share of love songs (otherwise he would be alone) and no better decade for love songs than the 70's. I like Rita's soft voice and the music is well written. I didnt care for the inclusion of live performances on a studio cd, but thats just me.

Forget Nora Jones. My vote goes to Rita Coolidge and Eva Cassidy. Rita's sultry voice has mesmerized me since the '70's when I saw her with Kris Kristofferson at the Cellar Door in Washington DC. I love this CD, prefer the last half - not bad with 18 songs! The instrumentals are good, but her voice is so special, that the mix should have been more voice, less instrumental.

I first became acquainted with Rita Coolidge a long,long time ago when we were listening to vinyl and I went to something called a record store and purchased Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishman. It was a wonderful compilation album featuring some new and explosive artists like Rita, who Joe in his inimitable style kept referring to as the Delta Lady, a moniker that would stick forever. Just think of Dionne Warwick, Donna Summer, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Karen Carpenter,Anne Murray and Rita Coolidge as representing what I think is an outstanding decade of recording artists. When I turn my cable channels way up to musical genres I sometimes spend a couple of hours on 70's music. The following Rita Coolidge songs are veritable classics offered by one of the more soothing and vocally adept singers I have ever heard, One Fine Day, I'd Rather Leave When I'm In Love, Higher and Higher. They are all featured on this CD which incidentally I recommend completely for anyone who loves and appreciates fine music. I will also tell you something that I vividly remember about Rita Coolidge. Aside from my remembrances of her as being a full blooded Cherokee American Indian her fans and friends surely noticed rather starkly a woman of immeasurable beauty and innate sensuality. I understand that today Rita is doing very well and enjoying the pursuits of someone who has made enormous and world wide accomplishments in her cherished and admired career. I hear her all over the media today on those providers that separate musical eras in such a grand style.
Jay Adler

They have captured Rita on this CD! The sound quality is great, the songs bring back so many memories. A great buy.

Am a senior citizen and a relative novice dealing with computers and the internet, however am learning all the time. Have done a fair amount of trade with Amazon over the last few months and have received efficient and reliable service. Have had to, on a few occasions, arrange to return goods e.g. small fault or unsuitable and am very pleasantly surprised by the ease at which the system works and the congenial demeaner of the staff dealing with the request. Amazes me how quickly and effectively the necessary returns information, bar codes, labels etc can be transmitted via email etc. Congratulations on doing a good job.
david goff

Rita Coolidge has a beautiful clear voice. Her pitch is perfect and she has an instinctive emotional delivery. I have wanted these song on CD for a while now .I am very glad this CD was produced. I have worn out the cassette tape with the James Bond Theme "ALL TIME HIGH". I also have the three "Album" she and Kris Krisofferson produced together and wanted a sampling on CD and "Loving Arms" is perfect for this. Of course her remake of the oldie "Higher and Higher " is a favorite. It takes real maturity and self-assurane for an artist to tackle Oldies. Her style is one-of -a -kind. This is a wonderful collectors CD.