Customer Reviews

Dawn Upshaw Sings Rodgers & Hart

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Like many, i had my doubts about a classical singer singing popular songs.Well, everyone makes mistakes and my doubts completely vanished when i heard this wonderful tribute to the songs of DICK AND LARRY.In fact at my humble opinion,this is the best tribute to the team since 1956 and ELLA FITZGERALD;that's a long time ago.DAWN succeeds in bringing new dimensions to these songs.I also enjoy the song selection:no LADY IS A TRAMP, no FUNNY VALENTINE but lesser known songs like HE WAS TO GOOD TO ME and EV'RY SUNDAY AFTERNOON just as good.This cd makes you realize how good LARRY HART was as lyric writer and how effortlessly RICHARD RODGERS seems to create melodies.It's a pleasure to write a critic and try to convince people to buy this.I think DAWN UPSHAW has found another admirer in her club.Go for it and judge by yourself.

Dawn Upshaw is absolutely marvelous in these renditions of classic Rodgers & Hart songs. Not since Rise Stevens has an opera singer shown such talent for singing showtunes. Unlike Renee Fleming, Ms. Upshaw sings these songs clearly and with perfect diction, without embellishments or unnecessary vocal pyrotechnics. These songs should be sung "straight" as if it were and Dawn sings each one beautifully. Her phrasing is impeccable, her voice is clear like a bell. This album should serve as a case study of how opera singers can tackle showtunes.

As I love both Rodgers and Hart's songs and the voice of Dawn Upshaw, this CD was an obvious choice. Upshaw is one of the very few opera singers today who are equally at home in popular song. Her crystal-pure voice and diction sound completely natural in these sixteen song classics. "He Was Too Good to Me," "Manhattan," "Sing for Your Supper," "Thou Swell," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "A Ship Without a Sail," "He Dances on My Ceiling," and the superbly arranged medley of "Nobody's Heart" and "Little Girl Blue" are among my favorite tracks. This is an essential disc if you love Rodgers and Hart.

I sampled this first at the local library and then picked up my own copy. The songs reflect a depth and joy that Dawn transmits so beautifully in her vocal mastery. Sharing her alma mater and remembering seeing her in the commons at the endof the day, there's some school unity, nostalgia and bias in this review, I will admit. Regardless, I'm loving this recording! "How Swell" is just plain fun; "Nearer", "I Could Write A Book" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" put words to thoughts and feeling that make me melt when I hear them. As well trained and professional as she is in her presentation, if you want to hear joy, loud and clear, take a listen. (I haven't usually found this to be true with many classical performers, frankly.) These "old" songs (as my kids call them) are indeed rich and Dawn's voice multiplies the value immensely.

This is an outstanding CD. The song selection includes many of Rodgers and Hart's most popular tunes and some lesser known ones. All thoughtful music fans appreciate having a overlooked songs given a second hearing. An album of "war horses" alone would be quite dull. The orchestrations are superb. Ms. Upshaw approaches the songs in a straightforward and uninflected way that lets the songs speak for themselves. Given the present abysmal state of singing styles in pop music, it is wonderfully refreshing to hear great songs sung without tasteless vocal ornamentation.

No complaints - Dawn is her usual delicious self.

Dawn Upshaw uses her beautiful voice to maximum benefit on the Rodgers and Hart songs.

The music on the CD is beautiful. I love Dawn Upshaw and this CD in particular, but when I received it, I tried to play it in the car right away and it did not work. I thought that it was something with my car stereo system and tried playing it in my stereo at home and that did not work either. The only place that it did work was on my computer so I had to upload the songs to iTunes then burn myself a new CD in order to be able to listen in the car and at work!

Though I prefer her "I Wish It So" or Vernon Duke album, this is a great recording. The voice is a little too bright, but Upshaw does a wonderful job interpreting these pieces and she is never too operatic. It's a light, lyrical collection and lots of fun. I especially enjoyed "Sing for Your Supper," in which she sings her own back-up. If you are looking for a collection of light music sung by a fantastically trained singer, this is it!

This is great stuff. Left me speechless