Brenda Russell - Greatest Hits

Brenda Russell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 14, 1994)
• Original Release Date: August 4, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B000002GKG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,548 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Piano in the Dark

2. So Good, So Right

3. Kiss Me with the Wind

4. Get Here

5. Dinner with Gershwin

6. Stop Running Away

7. If Only for One Night

8. Way Back When

9. Justice in Truth

10. Le Restaurant

Editorial Reviews

Brenda Russell's angelic voice is so engaging and pleasing that she could sing the ingredients in a Bon Appetit recipe and still get off a good take. Her voice is perfect for contemporary pop, not too light or too heavy, and while appreciated by her peers, she's far from being a household name despite a strong cult legacy. Greatest Hits summarizes Russell's best, featuring only ten songs, while showcasing her other skills: producing, musicianship, arranging, and drum programming. The best of the greatest include "Piano in the Dark," a slightly funky "Dinner with Gershwin," and romantic flights "If Only for One Night," and "Le Restaurant." -All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "So Good So Right!", November 8, 2000

By 

DP (Pompano Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brenda Russell - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

This is a fabulous collection of soft melodic soul music from Brenda Russell's solo albums from 1979 through 1990. Brenda is an incredible talent that has unfortunately been for the most part overlooked. Her songs have been recorded by such talented performers as Luther Vandross, Joe Cocker, and Oleta Adams...to name a select few.

On the collection of 10 songs, there are two chart highlights. Her signature song is the exquisite top 10 "Piano In The Dark," which initially graces the collection. This a modern adult contemporary classic with Brenda's signature sultry vocals and features addtional vocals from Joe Esposito. It peaked at #6 on the charts in 1988 and earned Brenda a grammy nomination for best vocal performance, female. It is a timeless ballad that still graces many easy listening radio stations, even to this day.

The other major pop chart hit was her first chart song, "So Good, So Right" (#30) released from her 1979 self titled debut collection. The song has simple, spare arrangements which was reflective of the nature of her first album. Also represented from that album is the tender, "If Only For One Night" and the melodic, yet mediocre track "Way Back Then."

The title track to her 1990 set, "Kiss Me With The Wind," serves as a beautiful, feel good, and upbeat love song. Also included is the classic "Stop Running Away," a song that addresses domestic violence. On "Dinner With Gershwin," she playfully woos her mate indicating that his company is just as important than the company of many icons in our culture. Donna Summer recorded this for her "All Systems Go" album in 1985 and it was a minor chart hit for Summer.

"Get Here" is the title track that hightlights Brenda's wistful, seductive vocals as she urges her lover to return to her after a long time of being apart. This is one of her greatest songwriting accomplishments which was given a robust vocal interpretation from ex-Tears For Fears collaborator and diva Oleta Adams on her 1990 debut "Circle Of One." It was a solid chart hit for Adams peaking at #5 and earning Adams a grammy nomination as well.

The gorgeous, "Le Restaurant" is a consummate closer to this beautifully collection of well-crafted songs. It features David Sanborn on saxaphone. This is a tasteful mood piece that should have been a hit, but surprisingly wasn't released to the massses.

In her 2 decades in the music business, Brenda Russell has endured as a singer/songwriter crafting a series of quiet melodic classics. If you like light, middle of the road, catchy pop and soul music with a heir of elegance and style, the CD is a pleasant listening experience that is highly recommended.

My only criticism with the collection is its length. It is only about 40 minutes long. The colection only highlights 3 of Brenda's albums over an 11 year time period. I believe there are 2 others (the titles escape me at the present moment) that are out of print, which could have been represented here to make the collection more complete.

There are several omissions that would have enhanced the collection even more. "Gravity," was a minor chart hit from the "Get Here" collection that is missing. She also recorded several other projects: a duet with Al Jarreau "The Body Song" on a collection of socially conscious songs called "People," and a beautiful duet with Oleta Adams "Love Will Find A Way," which appears on the soundtrack to the Whoopi Goldberg film "Corina, Corina."

This compilation was a bit premature. In 1993, she released a very good collection of songs called "Soul Talkin'" that is well worth the bargin bin price! On that album, she expands her range and sings many upbeat tunes and lovely ballads about love and the perservation of the planet. Among its highlights are "Matters Of The Heart," "No Time For Time," "You'll Fall In Love Again," and "Who Are You" (a duet with Bobby Caldwell). This album is worth searching for.

For those who wish to keep up to date with Brenda, her current album is called "Paris Rain"(2000) which has been heralded as her most mature and sophisticated set that has international feel to it touching on many genres: adult comtemporary pop, rhythm and blues, torch, with a touch of jazz thrown in for good measure.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Music from Brenda Russell!, January 16, 2006

By 

Patrick Driscoll (Litchfield Park, Arizona) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brenda Russell - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

I bought the IMPORT version because it has 12 tracks instead of the USA version - 10 tracks. The extra two tracks "Gravity" and "In the Thick of It" are both great. "Gravity" was one song that I thought should have been a hit from her "Get Here" album but only "Piano In The Dark" was a hit. And what a huge awesome hit it was, still the best song from her by far, in my opinion. My second favorite song is "Le Restaurant", a light jazzy love story in song. Brilliant.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A truly gifted and inspired singer/songwriter., September 8, 2005

By 

Justo Roteta (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brenda Russell - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

Given the fact that she's undeniably one of the best singer/songwriters of our time, it's almost incredible that Brenda Russell is so underrated and overlooked by many. "If Only For One Night", "Get Here", "So Good, So Right", "Le Restaurant" and "Stop Running Away" are timeless musical masterpieces which will make you a fan of this incredibly talented lady. The only reason why I did NOT give this fine compilation a 5-star rating is because its producers failed to include even one song from her 1981 LP "Love Life" (incredibly).