Customer Reviews

Happy Songs

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It must be said at the outset that I am a huge fan of Ms. McDonald's work. That does not, however, preclude me from being honest about my impressions of her albums. I'm a fan because of her huge talent, not in spite of it.

Happy Songs is Audra McDonald's third solo album, and each one has been better than the last. Audra sings with a vibrancy and brilliance that is unmatched. Her tone is impeccable, but she's more than willing to give up that elusive perfect note to get at the truth of the emotion behind a song. For this reason, there's never any doubt that she believes every word she sings.

Much has been written about how the birth of her daughter inspired Audra to record songs from the Depression (there are a few cheats on the album - two new songs and others written post-Depression), when people turned to entertainment to lift their spirits (hence the title of the album). While many of these songs wouldn't qualify as "happy" ("Suppertime" is sung by a woman whose husband has just been lynched; "Beat My Dog", "Ill Wind", and others are about bad relationships), it still works. Whether it's the wonderful arrangements and interpretation, or just realization that things could be worse, the album does indeed make one feel better.

Those critical of McDonald's song choice in the past (indeed, her first album - although wonderful - was not for everyone) will find little to quibble over here. Each song is a gem, from better known songs like "He Loves and She Loves" and "More Than You Know" to the less familiar "I Double Dare You", to the first-time recording of "See What I Wanna See". The album appears to be crafted to be a crowd-pleaser, and it succeeds.

The country needs a pick-me-up today as much as it did 70 years ago. Listeners could do far worse than popping "Happy Songs" into their CD players.

Okay, I've never written a review before, so this is another of the "firsts" that discovering Audra McDonald's voice has led me to do. I am an unabashedly adoring FAN, but unlike many others, I couldn't have cared less about Broadway singers until I heard Audra McDonald on her second solo CD, "How Glory Goes." First, I was captivated by Audra's renditions of three Harold Arlen songs on the "Glory" CD. After more listenings, I had to learn to love the more modern songs on the CD, only because Audra McDonald was singing them. Finally, I had to get my own copy of everything else this superlatively gifted performer had recorded.

As a collector of music written in the 1930s and 1940s, I cannot express the height of my excitement when I heard that "Happy Songs" would be a collection of my most favorite "pop" music, produced by my most favorite hybrid (classical-popular) singer. Now that I have heard the CD about a half dozen times, I can say I am happy with the result. Though this may sound like faint praise, compared to what other reviewers have written, please understand, I am often and easily disappointed, and Audra McDonald has yet to disappoint me.

Too often, when I listen to re-makes of 1930s/1940s music, I can instantly tell that it's not the real thing, that something doesn't quite match. That is, since I want to hear the 1930s/1940s SOUND, not a 1950s or 1960s (or worst of all, 1970s) "update" of that sound, I get jarred by the clash of eras. What I love about "Happy Songs" is that Audra's inestimable singing of the music is so authentically accompanied by the instrumentalists supporting and showcasing her. Ted Sperling's work as conductor, arranger and pianist shine through on track after track of this CD, and make it near-magical for me. McDonald and Sperling's rendition of "Ill Wind," as just one sterling example, a song originally written for a Cotton Club revue (and dubbed ineffectually in the movie by the same name) sounds like it is being sung by a REAL 1930s chanteuse and played by a REAL 1930s swing band--fantabulous!

To sum up, if you like Ella, or Duke, or Ivie Anderson, or Fletcher Henderson, or Judy Garland, or Glenn Miller, you will love "Happy Songs" by Audra McDonald.

HAPPY SONGS represents McDonald's rendition of some of the most beautifully evocative songs fo the Forties, and I think represents her best solo work to date. I just think McDonald is the best Broadway singer in years--her voice is glorious, and she interprets her songs with real tact and understanding. I found her first two albums, however, were too quirky and eccentric in their choice of selections, sometimes highlighting new work by young American composers for the simple sake of doing so (and not always choosing the best possible pieces). Almost all of McDonald's pieces on this album, though, are lovely older numbers, she does a remarkable job with such less well-known works as "Lose that Long Face" and "I Double Dare You." And one fo the only newer or truly eclectic pieces she does--Michael John LaChiusa's sexy and funny Latin number "See What I Want to See"--is the highlight of the album.

Just to dispel some of the talk that these songs arent really ALL Happy Songs, some are downright depressing. I mean Supper Time is a song about what the newly widowded wife of a lynched man is going to tell their kids.

However, misleading theme or not, this is DEFINITLY Audra's best album. Some people loved the adventourousness of her first album, but the song selections were almost TOO obscure to be really appreciated. Her second album was gorgeously sung, but some of the arrangements on repeated listenings grew bland(Audra is one of those singers who really sounds best with a SMALL band).

This album is really a happy medium. There are some new songs, Beat My Dog and See What I Wanna See, both of which are amazing and have simple arrangements. The older songs are much more obscure, yes its Ellington, Gershwin and Arlen, but not that many people really perform these songs, except More Than You Know(which i think is the weakest song on the album). Audra is at her best when a song has her moving quickly with a big band, or slower with just a piano or guitar. It sounds like she gets a little bored with some of the slower, over orchestrated numbers, but thats an effect that is few and far between. 9/10 The songs on this album are rousing, and if not "happy" they are hopeful and full of genuine emotions. They also show Audra's development as a singer and as a song selector in positive directions. No fan of Audra or pop standards should be without it.

The unitiated might listen to Audra McDonald's new CD and not realize that she is a Tony-winning star of musical theatre. This material, and her delivery of it, are that different. What was Lincoln's review of a book he did not care for? Something like, for those who like this sort of thing, this is precisely the sort of thing they would like. Well, I find it hard to believe that any discerning listener would not appreciate this CD.

The fact that this CD will not make the charts is a sad commentary on the state of popular music today. Audra McDonald is an artist of extraordinary presence and strength. Her first two CD's explored the new and the old in musical theatre. This CD shows that her range goes far beyond the theatre. Here she is a singer of torch songs. Don't know what a torch singer is? Listen to this CD and you will.

Audra's great as always. I was delighted when I saw that she included two of my favorite Audra songs, Beat My Dog (which if you've seen her perform it in concert seems to be tongue in cheek but perhaps that's just my interpretation) and See What I Wanna See. I also was happy to see Supper Time which despite it's depressing content was strongly delivered during the concert that I attended.

The CD cover with it's recreation of 1941's Waiting Room is both creative and appropriate. I remember seeing that picture several times among the photographs of my older relatives.

It's really unfortunate that this is a time of musically unimaginative radio playlists. I think that those of us who grew up listening to radio in the seventies were probably the last generation that could hear a mix of different genres and singers on one channel. As a result of today's restrictive radio practices, much of the listening public is unaware of what an Audra McDonald has to offer. Hopefully her upcoming television show will give her the audience that she deserves.

No doubt about it, Audra McDonald's voice is exquisite, and there are very few pop singers who have as much presence and passion as she does.

That said, this disc is only partly successful. The songs were well-chosen, but some of the arrangements and interpretations are awfully stilted. This is especially true of Duke Ellington's "On a Turquoise Cloud," "Ill Wind" and "Bambalelê." The first is over-arranged and stiffly performed; the second desperately needs a shot of the blues, and the last is, well, a very un-Brazilian interpretation of a Brazilian folk song. (With European Portuguese pronunciation, which is much like singing "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" with a heavy German accent -- very jarring.)

But the songs that work really *do* work: "Tess's Torch Song," "Beat My Dog" (which is supposed to be funny, folks!), "I Double Dare You" and Irving Berlin's poignant "Supper Time" among them.

Although I prefer McDonald's more adventurous work, this is a keeper, and invites comparisons with Dawn Upshaw's I Wish it So. (I'd love to hear McDonald's take on some of Upshaw's rep., especially Sondheim's wry, ever-so-slightly sardonic "The Girls of Summer.")

Do make sure to balance this out with recordings by some of the singers who made these songs chart in the first place: Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and more. Without doubt, McDonald knows their work and is deeply indebted to them. (See the Novermber 5, 2002 New York Times review of her most recent concert for more on this.)

When I first got this album, way back in 2002, I wasn't crazy about it. Composer-wise, it didn't focus on bright young things -- Guettel et al. -- like Audra's previous efforts. The period productions seemed to get in the way of this singer's full spontaneity.

But I heard it again this morning (Summer 2005, or The Year of Our Harold 100) and it knocked me out!! What great songs, what wonderful treatments, by Ted Sperling, Don Sebesky, and others, and above all what a great singer! Perfect cure for loss of faith in humankind, or at least singer-kind.

Thank you Audra. You are Definitely the best.

This ironically titled album is perfect in every respect. Ms. McDonald is the finest young singer we have, and the most versatile. I've seen all her Broadway performances and was astonished each time. She even is the best Lady MacBeth in Verdi's opera that I've ever heard, and that includes Callas and Rysanek. But here she is laid back; absolutely on pitch in every song; and crystal clear in her diction. No one will be even slightly disappointed in her interpretations. The longer you wait, the longer you will be depriving yourself of great pleasure. Bob Finley

There are very few extremely talanted singers whose acting abilities are parrallel to their vocal abilities. Audra Mcdonald is definately on the top of that list. Her first Album WAY BACK TO PARADISE was an exploration on new composers, her second album HOW GLORY GOES was a mix of new and old, and now her third HAPPY SONGS is almost all classic jazzy tunes (of course she had to throw in a couple to keep you off balanced). But the one thing that these albums all have in common is that she creates a complete world full of lush sound and intricate characters. She has the ability to make you feel whatever she wants you to with the slightest change in her voice. She is definately my heroine of not just Singing/Musical Theatre, but performance in general.

When I first got this album I most be honest I thought it was good but I didn't take an instant shine to it.
But now having it almost two months, its pretty much the only album that keeps me content when I'm relaxing with a nice bottle of wine.