Customer Reviews

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, Vol. 2

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

 

 

Even better than volume one. From the gorgeous rendition of I Love Paris to the delightful and fun Don't Fence Me In (which noone else should even bother singing again because Ella has perfected it), this CD has one great song after another, different in moods, yet united by their great arrangements and above all Ella's clear beautiful voice and perfect phrasing. On some of the tracks, especially I've Got You Under My Skin (this version blows Sinatra's away) and Don't Fence Me In, the sound quality is remarkable and it sounds like it was recorded yesterday not in the mid 50s.

The companion to volume 1--you can't have one without the other. Beautiful, lyrical renditions of "I Love Paris" and "So in Love." "It's All Right with Me" is really hot, and "Don't Fence Me In" is a fun finish. Really, they're all favorites. As with volume 1, Buddy Bregman provides the apt orchestra arrangements. I can't honestly say whether I prefer either volume; whenever I listen to one of them, I invariably play the other immediately afterward.

Ella Fitzgerald is one of those rare people that can seldom be found in the world of musicians and vocal singing Jazz Ballads. She is masterful in both Volumes One and Two of the Cole Porter Song Book CD's. If you want to hear an angel on earth sing get both these CD's from Amazon.com, especially if your going to propose marriage to someone during dinner, I recommend that you have this music playing softly in the backround.

Oddly, I heard Volume 1 when I borrowed it from the library. Fell in love with it, and immediately ordered both volumes. They really are the best of both worlds---one of the greatest song writers of all time combined with one of the greatest singers of all time. I give both Volumes my highest recommendation. You can listen to them without distraction and thoroughly enjoy the experience. Or you can use them as wonderful background music for dinner guests. Or as the backdrop to a seduction scene. Beautiful and versatile music.

Ella likely makes Porter cry when he hears her version of his work. She is one-of-a-kind in many ways, phrasing, riff, etc.
[...]

There is no other Ella and and she and Cole Porter are incomparable.
This is the top-of-the-line composer vocalist combination.

I love Ella Fitzgerald, so any of her albums are great, but for some reason this just doesn't have the same magic as Vol. 1 in this series. That is one of my favorite CDs, so I thought this one would be as good. She is always amazing, and the better songs on this album are 'Night and Day', 'So In Love', 'I've Got you Under My Skin', and 'Don't Fence Me In.' The last is probably my favorite. For an Ella fan, it's worth buying. But buy 'Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook Vol. 1' first.

I think this is a very good album, but not Ella's best work. Mostly she sticks very close to the melody and words only infrequently adding her own touches, flourishes - style.

This is a Fabulous CD. I'm listening to it right now and I enjoy every minute. I'd say that with Ella, there's not much to review. Everything she does it great. The guy at the record store had enough trouble trying to direct me to just one Ella CD because they are all worth buying. My friend likes vol. 1 better, but I like this one just fine!

Ella of course has a rich and beautiful voice. It is also wonderful to have such a complete collection of Porter's songs (of course more than one album is required). My only negative comment is that I prefer the arrangements on more modern releases, such as Rod Stewart's "Great American Songbook" series (4 CD's), or Carly Simon's "Moonlight Serenade" disk.