Customer Reviews

Black Velvet

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

 

 

Years in the making, Alannah Myles has given her fans a tremendous new album. " BLACK VELVET " kicks off with an updated version of the original classic. Alannah wanted to re-record it because she saw no royalties from that #1 hit & all the albums she did for Atlantic Records. I'll indulge her on that decision because it's the 10 NEW songs that make this album so great. She co-wrote 9 of the 10 new songs. I prefer listening to this new CD starting with COMMENT CA VA, the first new song, and consider the new version of BLACK VELVET as a bonus track. After all, how can you top an absolute clasic?

The entire CD is filled with diverse sounds, singing, instruments, and arrangements . The main thing is her VOICE. She still sounds crystal clear. You can't tell it's been awhile since her last album. She sounds amazing, and all these new songs are a joy to hear after such a long wait. There are rock songs like COMMENT CA VA, PRIME OF MY LIFE, ANYWHERE BUT HOME featuring Jeff Healey on guitar and WHAT IS LOVE, one of my favorites on here. Ballads have always been one of her strengths, and I LOVE YOU is astounding - a really beautiful song exquisitely sung & arranged . It is easily one of the best songs that Alannah has ever done. FACES IN THE CROWD was written by the same team that gave us BLACK VELVET - David Tyson & Christopher Ward. The variety of genres is all over the place on here, and of course, blues is represented with the closing song TROUBLE. Fellow Canadian rock chick Sass Jordan sings back-up on 2 songs, and the CD was produced by Mike Borkosky , who worked with Alannah on her A RIVAL album. Everything on here was produced sumptuously, from layered sounds and intricate parts to a spare arrangement like on I LOVE YOU.

Alannah is in full reign here as one of today's premier female vocalists. She's a chanteuse, rocker, balladeer, rocker, artist and legend. Get this CD. It's been worth the wait. Not to be missed.

Well after many years and a couple of name changes Alannah releases her new album. Technically only 9 of the 11 tracks are new ("Black Velvet" is a re-recording of the #1 hit from her debut album and "I Love You" was originally recorded in 1995 under the title "I Believe" and appears as the b-side to the single for "Family Secret"). The album is still full of great songs. The standouts are "Comment Ca Va", "Prime Of My Life" & "Leave It Alone". If you are a fan of Alannah's or just looking for some good music this album is recommended.

Why isn't Alannah more popular? I find her voice, her sound, her beats, and her lyrics hypnotic. There are some great songs on Black Velvet; great for me is Alannah's sex appeal oozing on top of her beats. If you're a fan, don't hesitate to buy this. If you're not a fan, and just interested, listen to her previous CDs, and if you like them, then is CD won't fail to please you.

I love Alannah Myles. I have most of her CD's on my iPod and crank them up all the time - top down cruising the highways and byways. I love her sexy, sultry voice, the raunchy guitar rhythms and solos that epitomize her style. Her acoustic ballads are also a treat! When I heard she was releasing a new version of Black Velvet (one of the most expressively "hot" songs of all times) I was thrilled. Probably a mistake - how can you build on perfection? I was really disappointed in the title track, and most of the rest of the album was too techno-pop for me. Gone - the kick-*** guitar playing and rhythm guitars. Too many synths and just too much production. Myles has such a beautiful voice, but she buries it with way too many effects. The one ballad "Faces in the Crowd" rang my bells, but not enough to justify the purchase of this album. Too bad. Allanah rocks (or used to).

The title track was a version other than what I was looking for, so I was a little disappointed at first. A few days later I decided to listen to the whole CD and was surprised how versatile Allanah Myles is. She reminds me of Cheryl Crow, Michael Jackson, and Bonnie Raitt all rolled into one.

This is one of the best records that has ever been made. She takes her classic track "Black Velvet" and turns it into a sultry rocking little number. She never loses her newness of being one of Rock music's leading ladies by delving into the complexities of relationships in songs like "Give Me Love" and reminds people that entering your 50s is the new beginings in your life in the song " Prime of My Life" An absolute must have for any true music fan. Love from Both Sides: A True Story of Soul Survival and Sacred Sexuality

Finally, Alannah Myles returns to the music world. She has been missed.
Black Velvet continues to prove that Alannah has got one of the most distinctive voices in rock music. The production is great and the songs are great. I am usually a little turned off when artists revisit their past hits, but she was able to record Black Velvet with a totally different approach. If you like great female rock voices, don't let this one slip by you.

I didn't much care for the new rendition of Black Velvet,band was too loud, I don't play it much.