Customer Reviews

Every Grain of Sand

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

 

 

Recently I went to a gig of Barb Jungr. I had heard about the lady, but never actually had the chance of seeing her 'live' on stage. Curiosity got the better of me, and I went to see this famous British chansonnier. I have never been so drawn into the performance than that particular evening. Barb looked great, the songs by Bob Dylan were exquisitely sung. It seemed like they belonged to Barb, not to Dylan. What this lady does is marvellous! I had the chance of meeting her after her performance, and I was actually very surprised that she was such a kind person. All the more reason to buy the CD! A whole CD of Bob Dylan covers. Could a person ask for more? Barb Jungr smoothly moves from song to song and it gets to you. I have never known anyone who could capture the essence of the songs like Barb does. I felt drawn into the music, into the performance, and it was as though I was being catapulted back to that gorgeous, unforgettable evening. Barb excells in all these songs. I am converted. Being a muscician myself, I think that Barb has done a great job. Admit it, it's not easy to pick 15 songs by Bob Dylan, record them, and make people like them. Barb Jungr succeeds in doing this, and that in itself is a marvellous achievement. Maybe Dylan himself should have a listen to this. Bet he buys the CD on the spot! Mr. Dylan, if you are reading this, fork out your dollars and buy this CD! You won't regret it! I might be a muscician, but Barb is a magician! A wonderful CD that deserves much more than 5 stars, but 5 stars was all I could give it. There simply are not enough stars in the whole Universe! One of them shines brightly though! It's a star named Barb Jungr!

Who would have believed that a caberet singer's treatment of Dylan material would succeed so triumphantly? She has an uncanny knack of getting inside of these songs and recreating them with emotional meanings never associated with them before.

The album requires repeated listenings in order to reveal its depths. The musical arrangements are splendid, perfectly underscoring and complementing her sublte voice.

I am at a loss to explain this singer's success with Dylan. Jacques Brel I do understand, but an artist as opposite as Dylan?
The platitude has always been that "nobody sings Dylan better than Dylan", and this is true, except for a few cover versions. Jungr brings a quality to these songs Dylan could never achieve, and her renderings are totally convincing to me.
Buy it if you love Dylan: no other LP of Dylan covers comes close.
Of course Dylan's versions are not replaced or even surpassed: how could they be?

I bought this album some months ago and am still listening to it regularly. Every time I put it on I'm thinking to myself "Well I'll finally get sick of it now!." Hasn't happened yet! Jungr has a great voice, sings well and the interpretations are interesting, different and hugely successful. She reveals Dylan's songs as even being better that I thought they were! My favourite is "Is your love in vain?"; such heartbreaking vulnerability. This CD is for anyone who enjoys beautiful music with heartfelt, intelligent lyrics.

Yes, I love Bob's nasally disonant angry bellows. But I am an exception in my family. To listen to any Bob Dylan CD, I'm usually forced into the study, headphones on and the door closed. Finally, a CD that I can play on the car radio without a major uprising. Barb Jungr has taken Bob's songs and crafted them into beautiful melodic pieces that continue to reveal new and interesting ideas. I am particularly fond of Dylan's more introspective songs like; Not Dark Yet, What Good am I, and Ring Them Bells. I was especially surprized at how naturally rythmic Tangled Up In Blue is. On our last vacation trip, my wife and son actually napped to this CD! Wouldn't happen with LIVE 1975 I can tell you that. An excellent purchase.

I enjoyed this album. When I first listened to it, I thought it was a hoot to hear Bob Dylan songs performed by a British cabaret singer. I especially enjoyed Jungr's sweet but still sultry rendition of "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight". My other favorites were "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", "What Good Am I?", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and "Tangled Up In Blue". There are a few misses on this disc. For instance, Jungr's cover of "Forever Young" didn't especially grab me. I have been a Dylan fan for over 30 years, and one of the things I love about his music is his rough emotional and stylistic edge. Barb Jungr's interpretations of these 15 songs are anything but rough or edgy. If you like show tunes or smooth jazz, Jungr's style is right up your alley. If you're a hardcore Dylan fan, you'll have to be open to a very different slant on Bob, but I suggest you take a chance on this surprisingly good album.

Barb Jungr may not be familiar to everyone, but her interpretations of these Bob Dylan songs will make you wonder why you haven't heard her before.
These are not straight covers, she takes each song back to it's bare bones and really gets inside it, giving each one a new and thrilling character.
Barb's voice is a truly unique instrument, it's textures caressing each word of each song. There are no comaparisons I can think of, she has full posession of her own beautiful voice. From the plaintive piano opening of 'I'll be your baby tonight'
you'll be hooked.
Highlights for me are 'Ring them bells', a gospel flavoured, rousing song; 'Born in time', a great song made greater by this arrangement, particularly in the use of Sonia Oakes beautiful cello work; 'Sugar baby', a more recent Dylan number, a real slow-burner; 'What good am I?', an amazing string arrangement for this hard-hitting song, and'Is you love in vain', if this one doesn't break your heart then it must have stopped beating!
Barb finishes the album with the title track,an hypnotic evocation of faith and belief, perfectly sung and played.
I can't reccommend this album highly enough, even for Dylan purists!
The only thing better than listening to Barb Jungr on CD is hearing her play live. She'll be in New York at The Flea Theatre in September 2002, so go and see her if you can - you won't be disappointed!!

We saw Barb Jungr last night for the first time. In fact we had never heard of her before, but heard she sang Dylan and Brel and we're fans of both. What a find! A smooth, elegant show with a terrific smoky edge to her voice. We bought this CD in the lobby and have played it nonstop.

Barb Jungr. She is a very well-respected cabaret singer in the UK and needs very little introduction. Soon she'll be appearing at the Flea Theatre in NY bringing her versions of 15 songs by Bob Dylan. 'Every Grain Of Sand' is a quite marvellous album and Barb digs into Dylan's songs so deep that she's actually making them her own. Buy this CD, put it on, and listen. I'm sure you'll enjoy this CD as much as I did. To pick out a particular song is difficult, because they are all excellent. Put it on your shortlist, you are not going to regret it. Dylan's songs have been covered so many times, but nobody has ever done a better job than Barb Jungr. It will be a hard act to follow! Well done, Ms. Jungr! Three thumbs up - I have three - comes in handy!

Barb Jungr is an incredible singer who has taken Bob Dylan songs and brought them to life. In this collection of fifteen Bob Dylan songs, ranging from early days to his latest release, Barb has created a tapestry of song by weaving a picture with his lyrics. Bob Dylan has always been known as a great songwriter but this cd shows that his lyrics are incredible. This is Barb's best work to date. Her style and performance is so unique for each song that a person can listen to this cd for hours and hours and never get tired of it. And if you have never heard of Barb Jungr before start with this cd and begin a wonderful journey with a true singer of songs.