Customer Reviews

Gonna Take a Miracle: The Best of Deniece Williams

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who have never heard of Deniece Williams, this is an excellent compilation disc to initiate you to her heavenly voice. It's a great disc that covers her secular music career as well as adding her bone chillingly wonderful gospel song, GOD IS AMAZING.

I was happy that that particular song was included because to her fans, it was the perfect way for her to tell her fans that her calling & future in music would be in the gospel realm. I also appreciated the inclusion of the magnificent BLACK BUTTERFLY - as a child, our choir always sang this song during celebrations for Martin Luther King Day so it holds a special place in my heart.

Again for those who've never heard any music from this true songbird, this is an excellent compilation to introduce you to her amazing voice. And to fans, it's an excellent addition to your collection.

Deniece Williams always had that voice that lifted you a little higher- soft, sweet, happy and heartbreaking. This is a decent collection of her best. The biggest hits are here: the dreamy brilliance of FREE (which she co-wrote), the blockbuster TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE (duetting with Johnny Mathis), the Thom Bell produced classics SILLY and IT'S GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE, and finally, the "Footloose" hit, LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY.

Their also several minor hits which, if the casual listener is not familiar with them, may be a pleasant surprise: the best being up-tempo tracks like I FOUND LOVE, BABY MY LOVE'S ALL FOR YOU and WHEN LOVE COMES CALLING. There's also the inspirational ballad BLACK BUTTERFLY, which over the years has gained more prominence as one of Niecy's best.

The collection is not perfect: chronologically, this is all over the place, with early hits like TOO MUCH near the end of the CD, and there are a couple of notable omissions (1986's R&B Top 10 hit NEVER SAY NEVER is missing, as is WHAT TWO CAN DO, a Top 20 hit from 1981, and her 1988 album AS GOOD AS IT GETS is not represented, either), but overall this is a decent overview of one the unsung talents of a prime era in R&B music...

Deniece Williams is a great singer. One of my favorite Songs are "Cause you love me baby", almost every club I attended play that song in their club and everyone have a smile on their faces singing the song and knowing all the words when the DJ play that song and I'm young and I attend clubs where a lot of young folks are and yeah I know we dont know that much about old skool but when it comes to that song we know, a lot of young people love that song and other songs I love is "I found love", "Silly", and "Gonna take a Miracle". I maybe young (a 80's BABY) but I know a lot about old skool and I love this album.

DENIECE WILLIAMS is a pure talent with a unique sound.

She should have attained a larger musical influence on mainstream American Pop R/B Music. With this CD, you can audition such major top 40 hits as her #1 "TOO MUCH,TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE", the Top ten R/B ballads "FREE","IT's GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE" and that Top ten FOOTLOOSE anthem "LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY", you will be floored by her perfect vocal style.

This is a greatest hits package that should not be overlooked.

DENIECE WILLIAMS is a pure talent with a unique sound.

She should have attained a larger musical influence on mainstream American Pop R/B Music. With this CD, you can audition such major top 40 hits as her #1 "TOO MUCH,TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE", the Top ten R/B ballads "FREE","IT's GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE" and that Top ten FOOTLOOSE anthem "LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY", you will be floored by her perfect vocal style. Unfortunatly, the one thing missing is her massive #1 Disco hit "I'VE GOT THE NEXT DANCE".

This is a greatest hits package that should not be overlooked.

this lady has chops she could sing uptempo to slow jam and knock it out the box.i read where another reviewer said marriah c's name please m.c. can't hold a candle to deniece.free is still mind numbing that song is genius both from Maurice white and deniece.the title track was so soulfull with Al bell i believe on production that the sound was timeless.too much to little to late with johnny mathis is cool.black butterfly is a gem very deep.do you love what you feel.sony should have all her material out period and promote it all over again.cuz alot of people slept on this great talent.

One can't really complain about any CD that includes both "Free" and "Black Butterfly", but...where's "You're All That Matters"? This CD also contains a few more gospel songs than necessary (why not release a second best-of containing only Ms. Williams'gospel music?), but overall, it is well worth buying. (One more complaint, though: It would have been cool to include "Never Say Never". There; I said it.)

I remember hearing a few of Deniece's songs while growing up, but I didn't hear too much of her music until I got older. I haven't come across too many of her albums, but I found this `Greatest Hits' Collection to be highly enjoyable. Deniece has a unique vocal style that could change to the mood of any song. However, you have to admit that when she called herself doing high notes, she did sound like a broke Minnie Riperton. In fact, Deniece used to be on of Minnie's background singers, so go figure. Regardless, Deniece still delivered and I haven't come across one song by her that I didn't like. This is what I call music!

In the early 80's Niecy was one of my favorite singers and remains so even today. This compilation has all of the great songs that she is known for like "Silly" It's Gonna Take A Miracle" and her wonderful duet with Johnny Mathis "Too Much Too Little Too Late". Unfortunately we hear very little from her today since she concentrates mainly on gospel. Also it is difficult to locate her earlier stuff on CD except for those re-issued in Japan. However this CD has songs from each of the original albums so I highly recommend it for the new fan as well as the die-hard fans.

How can you really call this a "best of" CD collection form Deniece Williams, when it's missing so many crucial, amazing Niecey hits? This greatest hits compilation should have included both her 1979 disco smash "I'VE GOT THE NEXT DANCE" as well as her mid-80s hit "NEVER SAY NEVER" (produced by Culture Club's Steve Levine) - since both of those orginal LPs/CDs are OOP, they are essential additionss. Just goes to show whoever at the label who compiles these "best of" CDs doesn't pay attention and/is too lazy to include all the hits. Pass on this lazy, facile effort.