Customer Reviews

Evening at Carnegie Hall

5 star:		(9)
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After hearing a clip of her stirring rendition of 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' on the net, I bought the album with high hopes. And I was NOT disappointed! Betty is at the top of her game on this CD, with stirring and passionate renditions of 'As If...', 'With One Look', and 'Rose's Turn'. I was not prepared for 'Rose's Turn', and when I listened to it for the first time, in the car, I almost ran off the road! A true showstopper. Also, I must thank Betty for her big heart in helping BC/EFA with this recording. I have supported Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for a while, and I was happy to see that I could help even further by buying this fabulous recording. Betty, you are an inspiration to us all. And if you happen to see this, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you 8-)

Of course, we all know that Betty is fabulous. I for one would like to do something to get the entire concert released. I wasn't at it, and I want to hear the rest! Oh well. The strength that Ms. Buckley has is her acting. Don't get me wrong, her singing is mindboggling, but that is just a given with her. It's her portrayal of each character that comes through in the recording. It makes you feel like your are watching with the rest of the audiences (and makes you wish you had been!) If anyone knows anything about how to get a video, or audio recording of the concert in it's entirety, please email morwitz@andrew.cmu.edu and tell me how. Thanks

Having followed Ms. Buckley's career ever since I was a toddler, looking at Eight Is Enough...and, having been at this concert, I can comfortably say that Ms. Buckley has continued to grow from one of Broadway's best musical actreses into one of the world's best performers....period! It's a shame that this wasn't released as a double album, as was originally planned(some fine performances ranging from the ill-fated musical Carrie to an Elton John song have been left out)! Regardless, if you were one of many who missed this great concert, or are just some kid who loves amazing singing, this cd is for you! Ms. Buckley's voice is in top form and the orchestrations, the energy of carnegie hall that night, and the variety of material only add more reasons why every human should own this album! Go out and buy it now!

If you like real Broadway belting don't miss the unique voice of Betty Buckley. This is one of her best recordings. My favorites are absolutely ferocious renditions of"With One Look" and "Rose's Turn"- sung back to back. She brings down the house. Many other performers have done the songs on this cd, but Betty Buckley is an original and this cd is phenomenal.

The only problem with Betty Buckley is that she isn't nearly as well known as she deserves to be, considering the length and quality of her career. This album of somgs from her 1996 AIDS benefit concert at Carnegie Hall is simply flawless. Naturally, it's heavy on music from Broadway, the London stage, and film scores, but she sings one Mary Chapin Carpenter song, "Come On, Come On," that comes from none of those sources and is guaranteed to give you chills every time you hear it. If you're tired of recordings by singers of little talent and less style, listen to Betty Buckley for fifteen minutes and you'll feel as if you'd never heard real singing before. She is an original, and she has the best voice in theater of this or almost any decade.

I was at this concert, and it was a remarkable evening. Though the selections on this CD are not every song performed that night (unfortunately missing are the two songs from "Carrie", one solo by guest Linzi Hately and one duet - not included I believe due to difficulty in keeping the singers and orchestra together while performing that difficult music live) - but what we do get is the essence of that evening, and these selections are excellent. The album starts off much as the concert did, with a few standards and Broadway gems, some mellow, some sweet, but this is all just a warm up for what's coming. By the time it gets to Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Come On, Come On" Betty is simply bewitching. The painful memories of that song are painted with Betty's voice in a way that I think only she can acheive. This is the song on the album I have played over and over. Listen also to her medley of "Hi Lily Hi Lo/I Can Let Go Now" which spins the songs into a musical journey that Betty illuminates with shear beauty. Equally magical is her verison of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes". But if the ballads paint pictures of love lost and dealing with pain, Betty outstandingly secures her place at the top of the muscial theater with "Pirate Jenny", "Rose's Turn", "As If We Never Said Goodbye", and "With One Look". Fierce, undaunted, at times almost pushed out of control - her voice rides these numbers from the low to the high, at every moment executing the difficulties of each song without fail. For those of you who were not there, in the second half Betty sang 3 songs back to back and called it something like the "Musical Theater Monster's Medley" where she literally had the orchestra play a 60 second vamp while she changed costume, wig, and accessories in full view of the audience and then launched into each song (I know Rose's Turn and With One Look were two of them, but the third escapes me). It was stunning then, and it will be stunning forever, since the evening was captured so beautifully on this CD.

From start to finish this live performance is outstanding. From the opening number where she combined Hello Young Lovers with Almost like Being in love - which she sings brings back memories of Judy Garland's Carnegie Hall performance. The concert carries forward into sadder places with songs like I can Let Go Now, and Every Day A Little Death, some where along the line you will shed a tear. However nothing can be more breath taking than when Betty Buckley towards the end of her brilliant performances sings With One Look, only to be followed up with Roses Turn, she truly captures Broadway at its best with the combo of those two songs. The one draw back is I know this was not the whole concert and I would love to hear it all.

I own several of Ms Buckley's albums, some are ok, others are not - but I must say nothing beats her live.

First a disclaimer. I think the London concert is just as good as this CD and should be reviewed as one. So I have to say that you must have both. Anyway Betty is a vibrant performer live. If find some of the same songs that she records on her studio albums pale in comparasion to her live performence. This albums opens with a medley of Hello Young Lover and Almost like Being in Love. She includes stadards such as As Time Goes By and Some Enchanted Evening and contemparary songs such as Mary Chapin Carpenters Come on Come on and Billy Joels And So It Goes. When Betty sings sondhiem it is pure heaven (Somethings Coming, Now You Know, Every Day a Little Death)and she blows the house away with Roses Turn and Pirate Jenny. She may offer the difinitive version of As if We Never Said Goodbye (come close to rivaling Patti Lupone) and her version of With One Look is not as good as the London concert. I only say that because she holds the note longer at the end of the London Concert I think 10 seconds! If that matter to you. She close with Seasons of Love from Rent and Build My House from Peter Pan. It is too bad that this was not issued as a double CD so we could have had the whole show and dialog. All talking has been cut from both concert CDs. As a added bonus partial proceed go the Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids. By the way Bernadettes new Live album also recorded at Carnigie Hall for the same foundation also goes to the same fund. And is another great show full of Sondhiem tunes! Joe Benson

Buckley's at the top of her craft as her steel-edged voice cuts to the heart of each emotional number. The rare Broadway performer who can turn just as easily to pop material and successfully make it her own, Buckley is a dynamo in this live performance. Her "Rose's Turn" knocks the audience for a loop. And it's a real kick to hear all of the screaming queens in the audience go nuts for this brilliant performer.