Customer Reviews

Close Enough for Love

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

 

 

When I first purchased this album in 1979, I realized that the once magical voice semed a little 'tired.' I would travel that same path eventually with Liza, but it hadn't happened yet.....and while I looked in the mirror and certainly recognized that I had aged and 'deteriorated' (so to speak) I never expected that the same thing could happen to a LEGEND. Ah well.....it does happen, even to the greatest of them....even to Peggy Lee.

But with that said, I gotta tell you this.....her rendition of 'Rain Sometimes' on this album is hauntingly beautiful, obviously delivered from her heart and soul, and is so touching and meaningful that is has become "Our Song" for my wife and me. Equally as 'personal' is 'Come In From The Rain'.....which was played at our son's wedding.

One reviewer talked about 'Peggy Lee Sings Rare Songs By Harold Arlen' from 1988 (which I couldn't find listed anywhere.....someone write to me about that one!) and another spoke highly of 'Moments Like This' from 1992. I stopped collecting in 1979 with 'Close Enough For Love,' but if Peggy's newer version of 'The Folks Who Live On The Hill' (from 'Moments Like This') even comes close to evoking the sentiment and melancholy I feel when listening to her supreme delivery of that classic love song on 'The Man I Love' CD (with orchestra conducted by Frank Sinatra, no less!) I'm going to order the newer one now.....tonight......as soon as I stop typing!

This new remastered version of "CLOSE ENOUGH FOR LOVE" clarifies
some of the more subtle nuances of Miss Lee's perfect vocal rendition of every song included.As always and forever Peggy can do nothing but sing what is her heart and soul.The beautiful qualities of a life lived reflected in ones's art becomes more substantial and poignant as time passes.This collection should not be missed by any person who can honestly and lovingly feel the spirit of Miss Peggy Lee.

"The Legend Is Back With Something Very Special" - that's how DRG promoted this album. It had been far to many years between studio albums for the legendary Miss Peggy Lee ... now she was back with an album that displays her greatest strenghts: her ability to swing ("Just One Of Those Things") and her tender, easy approach to ballads ("Through The Eyes Of Love"). The album is a good mix of classics ("Rain Sometimes") and contemporary ("You"). The musicians are superb! Listen for the beautiful guitar stylings of John Chiodini who continued to tour, record and write songs with Peggy for many years.

Sincere-Lee,

Robert Strom THE PEGGY LEE FAN CLUB 744 COLLIER DRIVE SAN LEANDRO, CA 94577

This is NOT the Peggy Lee you know. No 'Fever', no 'Is That All There Is?', no 'Surrey With The Fringe On Top' set to a mambo score. If you're looking for a classic recording of Lee's well known songs, stick to a Best Of collection. This album was recorded in 1979 and has a distinctly post-disco Donna Summer flavor to it. Frantic bass, high hats and wah pedals - wah pedals! - abound, resulting in a deliciously campy and surprisingly sexy representation of Peggy nearing sexagenarian status. And no, she was not too old to sing!

An absolutely incredible album. Fans of all genres ought to get this. Like Flaming Lips, you'll dig this. Beck? Tierney Sutton? Bonnie Raitt? Billie Holiday? You will love this. This is just great music. Her voice is lollying about, almost about to slip out of the tune, only to smooth itself back in. Incredible. The band deserves some praise too, fine licks and an electric groove. If I could buy it for you, I would.

Peggy Lee recorded a number of fine major label LP'S in the seventies that are masterful collections filled with unique and brilliant performances featuring extravagant productions arranged by legendary greats working with a full orchestra so this small label gem was quite a change for the legendary diva although first-rate arranger Richard Hazard at the helm doing a fine job with the small but very fine group giving this intimate collection a full and rich sound which perfectly frames Peggy's gorgeous vocals. Miss Lee was more than up to the challenge of working in a scaled down production as these sublime & mesmerizing vocals are filled with color and soul and Peggy achieved creating another classic set that would have had great success in better musical times than the bland & musically stale 1980 which no longer celebrated great talent on the airwaves and this poor programming situation with no imagination or interest in great talent helped bring about the sad state of the music industry today which has been floundering for years and with closure of all the major music chains it is not a surprise! In the great musically rich 50's & 60's one could tell radio was programmed by those who loved talent and a wide array of artists were featured in the Top 40 which is not true today. In the seventies this change started as radio programmers seemed to want to create trends and take complete control of what made it to the airwaves so established talent no longer ruled and there was not a thing anyone could do about this...problem is fan base weakened as artists with great talent no longer being promoted and this sad situation created a situation where many great singers no longer had recording contracts so it made it seem no longer "cool" to have talent. A house built on sand doesn't stand for long and that is what has happened to American Music, hense the closure of major music stores across the country...when will they ever learn?
This winning collection has a pop/jazz feel and Peggy tackles a wide array of songs from composer's such as Tom Snow, Johnny Mandel, Paul Williams, Michael Franks, Cole Porter, Melissa Manchester, Carole Bayer Sager, Marvin Hamlisch, and a few self-penned songs show Peggy Lee as the original singer/songwriter whose work is legendary! Moods vary brilliantly from song to song with The Diva in fine voice and the mesmerizing gorgeous finale "Rain Sometimes" composed by Oscar Winning composer Arthur Hamilton is both haunting and unforgettable and so is the lady. Bravo Peggy!!!

Her voice isn't tired, isn't too old, none of those things. It's sultry, a la Billie Holiday. Just when you think she's about to lose the rhythm, she slips back in. Perfect to go with a pitched, boogie accompaniment. A real treasure. Doesn't matter what kind of music you like, this is for you.

This 1970s outing by the perfectionist Peggy Lee finds her in her usual sensual form with subtle phrasing, but unfortunately her selections on this disc are not up to her usual perfect standards. The ballads from cheesy feature films that mark the final selections on this disk are clunky and slow and without artful arranging they fail to impress. Good choices are however a fast-paced Just One Of Those Things and Rain Sometimes.

i was lucky enought to find this cd and have listened to it many times. The song she selected for this effort and the way she sings them will put you in the mood------the mood , close enough for love.

A disappointing recording by Peggy, especially after reading good things about it in the recent biography. There's some good material (along with some ephemera like the first track) by Cole Porter, Johnny Mandel, and Marian McPartland, but the settings are hopelessly dated--immediately identifiable 1970s textures, with electric bass (louder than the vocals), Fender Rhodes electric piano, a synthesizer, guitars (twangy and slide), disco-lite and "rock-like" beats. Moreover, there are moments when the piano or guitar fails to fill in glaring holes or to provide motifs that might complement Peggy's phrasing. These guys are either on auto-pilot or laying down the track without benefit of the singer's presence.

Peggy at this stage (1979, prior to her 60th birthday) sounds barely stronger than on her very last recording, "Moments Like These" (1993). That cushiony, breathy and vibrant sound that she possessed a decade earlier is missing in both instances. But her very last recording places her in the company of the superlative pianist-accompanist-arranger Mike Renzi, who assures a session of uncompromising aesthetic integrity and balanced textures not to mention sheer musicality and genuine jazz sensibilities. I wish Peggy had reprised the title song and, especially, "In the Days of Our Love," with Mr. Renzi allowed to work his magic on both.