Customer Reviews

Carly Simon: A Moonlight Serenade

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Carly Simon, one of the few living legends of our time, releases this DualDisc album and treats us to a fantastic display of her talents as a singer of the great standards. Throughout the album Carly's voice is strong, sensuous and warm. This is the kind of album you instantly want to listen to again and again-and the truth is that it never loses its power. Moreover, as I mentioned, this release is a DualDisc. This means that the CD is on one side of the disc you get and then there are DVD features on the reverse side. A magnificent bonus! DVD features include the entire album in PCM stereo, footage of production techniques and interviews with Carly Simon and Richard Perry. (Perry produced this album.) One note of caution, however: DualDiscs tend to play best in newer CD players. If your CD player is several years old, you would want to get the "CD only" version of the album.

Listening to her sing of life's trials, tribulations and extremes, I cannot help but be in total awe of Carly's vocal abilities. Time has matured her voice, to be sure, but in a good way. Her range is good and the musical arrangements are equally well executed. For example, the song "In The Still Of The Night" gets five star treatment from Carly and her peers. The arrangement is positive and very upbeat.

On this album, look for Vincent D'Onofrio on guitar; Mike Thompson on piano, Fender Rhodes piano, and even synthesizer; and Lee Thornburg on both trumpet and trombone. Andy Chukerman also helps out on synthesizer and John Ferraro helps out on drums as well. These people, along with other musicians, back up Carly wonderfully with thoughtful and well done musical arrangements.

The album starts off strong with "Moonlight Serenade." Now I finally know the lyrics! SMILE "Alone Together" is an especially touching song; about how true love can weather any storm life may throw a couple's way. "Where Or When" has a certain bittersweet dramatic quality to it when Carly sings it! "All The Things You Are" is my favorite song on the album; it is so romantic and positive, celebrating love. "How Long Has This Been Going On" is an awesome way to end the track set with a flourish. Indeed, the entire album as a set has a romantic quality that is memorable, refreshingly honest and emotional.

In short, I would recommend this DualDisc for fans of Carly's but also for fans of the standards and what is called "Lite Rock." Great job, Carly; and give us MORE!

Carly Simon has done 4 albums of standards, starting with 1981's Torch. Each one has been different and as such each has had its own charms. "Moonlight Serenade" finds her in a more romantic and playful mood than her previous releases. The production here (by Richard Perry) is spot on and faithful to the genre. And Simon's vocals are lush and easy on the ear (not always the case for her!!) She has a real feel for this music and her performances are for the most part on the money. Not all the songs work - the title track, "My One and Only Love" and "Where or When" are not as smooth and jazzy as I would have liked but her unique take on "I Only Have Eyes for You" and "The More I See You" - whilst staying loyal to the song, add a new dimension to them. This is a major feat and for Simon is a bit of a coup and more than makes up for any shortcomings. Vocally, she has rarely sounded more "commercial" and if you want to hear these classic songs sung the way they were meant to be sung (as appose to Rod Stewarts slaughtering of them - can someone please stop him from recording any more standards - PLEASE!) then this is the CD for you. I doubt it is for everyone, but for lovers of great songs sung very well - this is an absolute delight - a winner!! Adam Devlin

This is my third Carly Simon CD. The first one is Letters Never Sent, then Torch, and then Moonlight Serenade. Having heard various contemporary singers attack jazz and slow songs, I was looking forward to this one. Most contemporary singers over-act the songs (when in fact they are supposed to simply sing it clearly -- the lines will deliver itself). The problem with most pop artists crossing over to jazz, they are not confident in trusting a song or a lyrics' power to put across a message. Some will rely on improvisation (improvisation from Cleo Laine is definitely good), but with such ineffective result, that it becomes a novety. Others would rely so much on (overly done) arrangement, case for instance is Michael Buble.

Good thing, we have this carly simon cd. Those who are familiar with her Torch CD know her power and talent to deliver classic songs. This is another proof of that ability. The simple rendition of Ive Got you under my skin, does not use a manic way (or worse syrupy) attack. She is just stating a matter of fact...."wake to reality, the thought of you makes me stop befor i begin".....

I only have eyes for you -- the arrangement builds to a sensual mood. it is a simple, nervous whisper.

of course, my favorite is where or when....Her version is that of a mature woman having a faint memory of a dream or a past event....

This Cd is simply one of the best this year that ive heard. Enough of those jazz singers with little girl mentality. We need a mature singer like Carly Simon!

Carly's voice has grown a little huskier, probably from her bout with cancer and all the treatments involved. She wraps her voice still so skillfully around these timeless tunes so well! Her choice of songs for this disc are great old songs that are very romantic, something she has become an expert at interpretation!
The DVD is equally as great! Honestly, if you've never been a Carly fan before, this one should convince you that she has such power and talent!
Equally impressive is the packaging. Best yet on dual-disc packaging and I've noticed in the stores that this package is now the standard... thankfully.
If I could, I would have given this 10 stars. A long hoped for and awaited return to the arena couldn't have had a bigger, nicer suprise than this.
My hats off to Carly. She has endured for years and is making it look and sound so easy to pick up the pieces and move right along!

I loved this album. To produce an album of standards which have been heard countless times is a challenge. Very often, they miss the mark and the singer can tend to sound a little plain and be drowned out by the arrangements...cases in point, "the look of love" by Krall(about the only album of hers I don't much care for)or "the movie album" by Streisand, again a disappointment that didn't do justice to Streisand or the songs.
"Moonlight Serenade" on the other hand is a sheer joy from beginning to end. I must have listened to it countless times. Her singing is upbeat and true and the arrangements are perfect. I loved the arrangement for "in the still of the night". This album ranks at the top of my list along with "Unforgettable" by Natalie Cole, "the Cole Porter Album" by Ella, Linda Ronstadts's "Whats new" and others.

At the risk of damning this one with faint praise, Moonlight Serenade is pleasant, but nowhere near as engaging as Torch or My Romance. Carly Simon's readings of these songs is strangely laboured, especially given how well she handled equally challenging material on the former albums. My guess is that Richard Perry is not the ideal producer for this material, and working on opposite coasts can't have helped. But the big disappointment is the DVD side of this DualDisc. The interviews with Simon and Perry are just plain embarrassing. It's 20 minutes of them gushing about how wonderful it was working together (like anyone cares), interspersed with brief clips of Simon miming snippets of the songs. Not miming in the context of a music video or performance; just miming on the spot, seemingly mid-interview. Even she looks embarrassed, as well she might. If the record companies think this is a brilliant way of launching a new format and squeezing a few extra bucks out of music fans, they need to get a clue. This kind of lazy, cynical exercise will kill DualDiscs faster than you can say "quadrophonic stereo" or "laserdisc".

Carly just kills these songs, these are some of the most anodyne versions of these that I've heard.

Do yourself a favour and get the originals.

I was never a big Carly Simon fan growing up in the 70s, but this CD is amazing. I can't imagine what all of her detractors are talking about, saying she's off-key and losing her voice. Yes, she slides into a note now and then, but Ol' Blue Eyes did that a lot, too. It didn't mean he couldn't sing.

I'm a massage therapist and this CD hasn't left the player for days; my patients love it as much as I do. Maybe it's because I'm "old" and I grew up with these songs (courtesy of my parents), in their original big band incarnations, that this CD struck such a deep chord with me. Lush arrangements, that smooth and husky voice--this isn't lounge lizard music. This is one great singer, missing The Chairman of the Board across the piano from her. It seems to me she must have listened and learned from the stylistic masters who sang these songs originally; she holds her own, admirably, with the best of them.

I have always enjoyed Carly Simon's music -- truly a joy to listen to. Although I'd certainly like to hear more original music from her, the side-trip she's made into recording "standards" is a fun excursion too.

This album's interpretations of these older songs is quite special. Pure speculation on my part, but put her into a time machine and spin the dial backwards a few decades -- and she would have been welcomed with open arms to have sung these songs when they were new.

I like the way she's embraced the DualDisc technology, although like other reviewers, I feel that her & Richard Perry could have done "more" with the DVD side of the disc. (Rather progressive at the time, but she also had some nice computer-friendly bonuses on her Film Noir CD -- too bad it's nearly impossible to access those goodies anymore, it isn't compatible with today's software.)

My only gripe? Grrrr. I don't like the latest trend of musicians (or probably more likely, the record company) doing "special deals" with some vendors. There's 11 songs on this disk...but if you happen to buy it from the "preferred" vendor (I won't name it here), you get a bonus track, #12, "My Foolish Heart."

As a lover of jazz, blues, and pop standards, and of interpretive singers like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, and Ella Fitzgerald, all I can say about this album is that it is one big unfortunate mess. Others have noted the change in Carly's voice, that it is much deeper and huskier than it once was. That in and of itself is not the problem here. In fact I think time has been very kind to Simon. Her singing on most of these numbers is very nice, and her interpretive instinct is intact and quite on spot. But the super slick production of the music is simply dreadful. What is supposed to sound like strings or horns is to my ears just more synthesisers. Layer upon layer of lush digital goop do no justice to jazz and pop standards. It is sterile and horribly generic. Had this been recorded with, say, a four-piece combo, with more simple arrangements, it might have come off well. This type of thing, this wonderment of all things old, is all the rage in music right now. Everyone from the aging Rod Stewart ( who has flirted with everything from mod rock to pop to disco and now standards ) to the youngster Michael Buble ( who by the way is a great singer ) is having a go at recording post-war standards. Some work, and some don't. This unfortunately falls into the latter camp. Sorry Carly, nice try. I really love her soft California rock albums, and have a special spot for her in my heart, as a vocalist and an incredibly gifted songwriter. But this just doesn't work for me. A side note to the record company. Why did you make this CD unplayable on computers and unable to be loaded into an IPod? I realise you are worried about piracy and internet file sharing. But REALLY, how many fourteen year olds do you think are going to be swapping this over the internet??? And when was the last time some street corner peddler said to you "hey man, want the new Carly Simon? Only 5 bucks..." GET REAL !!