Heaven & Earth

Al Jarreau | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 16, 1992)
• Original Release Date: June 16, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LSY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,205 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. What You Do to Me

2. It's Not Hard to Love You

3. Blue Angel

4. Heaven and Earth

5. Superfine Love

6. Whenever I Hear Your Name

7. Love of My Life

8. If I Break

9. Blue in Green (Tapestry), Pt. I: "The Dedication"

10. Blue in Green (Tapestry), Pt. II: "The Dance"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Jarreau's best albums, August 22, 2001

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven & Earth (Audio CD)

Heaven and Earth (1992) was Jarreau's first release since 1988 and was a lot more R & B oriented than previous efforts. This was probably due in part to the producer/arranger Narada Michael Walden who was one of the hot producers (for Whitney Houston, among others) at the time.

The uptempo numbers - a Walden specialty - are the least impressive. The opener "What You Do To Me" is a fine dance track, but doesn't take advantage of Jarreau's immense vocal abilities, and the new jack swingin' "Blue Angel" and "Love Of My Life" would have both been better suited to any of the New Edition alumni.

Jarreau shines brightest on the ballads. The title track and the soaring "If I Break" melodically showcased the stylish sensitivity in his voice, with the single "It's Not Hard To Love You" and "Superfine Love" utilizing Jarreau's vocal gymnastics best of all. On the latter, the orchestrations are challenging enough to push Jarreau's voice toward its limit yet still allow it to remain in the forefront.

Jarreau concludes the album with his two-movement rendition of Miles Davis' "Blue In Green," with lyrics added by Jarreau and Frank Martin. On a jazz number like this, Jarreau proved that he was still peerless. Ultimately, Heaven and Earth was an admirable effort by Jarreau to create a contemporary sound while remaining true to his roots.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Passion Personified, June 14, 2000

By 

"amazonavi" (KOBE, Hyogo. JAPAN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven & Earth (Audio CD)

This disc is my first CD of Al Jarreau. I came to like him very much. His versatility of singing style is very attractive and surprising. Not like current hip-hop-centric R&B scene, but his music is fashionable by his own artistic modulation. Sound is also clear-cut. Not an extraordinary album, but I can feel very rich and happy everyday with his music.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Better than Celine Dion...barely, January 31, 2007

By 

Nikica Gilic - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven & Earth (Audio CD)

Such a pitty this great vocal tallent made so many of these sweeeeeet recordings...

In order not to come off as too strict a jazz purist, I would like to point that I recall buying an Aretha Franklin record in the 80's, the one in which she sounded ridiculosly close to Whitney Houston. If memory serves me well, Narada Michael Walden was responsible for that misdemeanor (not to say crime) as well. It's the album where she had a hit duo with George Michael and, as sole (at least remotely) creative point, recorded "Jumpin'Jack Flash" (was Keith Richards on guitar at that particular song?).

Don't get me wrong, if Jarreau sounds like Whitney Houston on this album, it still makes this CD better than the music of Celine Dion... But if you want my humble opinion, only barely!