Customer Reviews

Illusions

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love Ute. I must confess it. This album, Illusions, is the one I consider her finest work. Here she combines her great, powerful and heart-felt voice,and some classic songs that won't ever be forgotten, with new, contemporary, beautiful and sometimes theatrical (this makes it better) arrangements... Usually, when someone sings pieces like 'La vie en rose' or 'Falling in love again', it's inevitable to think of Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich, but Lemper has managed to print her own mark and style in them, recreating them... Among all her recordings, this is the one to have...

Ute lemper is one of the finest artists of our generation. This album above all her other work is probably her greatest ever. Not only does she take on the work of two of histories inimitable 'Divas', but adresses their experiences and sentiments with a level of sincerity that takes the listner from laughter to tears in less than breath. In short Ute Lemper, with the assistance of collaborator Bruno Fontaine have reinvented a classic genre. Who would have thought that the songs could possibly sound better than when performed by the original artists? Listen to this work and reconsider.

In my opinion Ute Lemper is one of the finest singers of all time. This album and her version of Kurt Weil's The Seven Deadly Sin's are her best (so far). Great stuff.

Tackling the repertory of Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich is a daunting task for any singer, but Ute Lemper is not the type of artist who shies away from a musical challenge. Her impressively varied body of work and her consistent level of excellency are unique among contemporary recording artists. Lemper's ability to change so completely from song to song never ceases to amaze me, and Illusions gives her the chance to display all her flair and ability for creating characters rather than just singing songs.

The poignant Want to Buy Some Illusions?, the melancholy and sweet La Vie en Rose, the operatic Black Market, the sultry Johnny and the epic Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuss/Falling in Love Again are just a few highlights of what you'll find in this wonderfully diverse CD. Illusions is not just another collection of standards sung by a talented performer. Ute Lemper and arranger/conductor Bruno Fontaine reinvent each song and make it their own, and in doing so they create one of the most beautiful CD's released in the 1990's.

`Illusions' and `City of Strangers', albums primarily of vocals by Ute Lemper, were released in 1992 and 1995 respectively, interspersed with her releasing the last of her major albums of Kurt Weill material in 1993. `Illusions' and `City of Strangers' are both a mix of songs in German, French, and English. Of the two, `Illusions' is the more coherent, but that difference is small. Very much like The Doors first two albums, these two are both cut from a single cloth and with some material are precursors of Ms. Lemper's really excellent `Berlin Cararet Songs' done in both full English and German versions in 1997. For example, several songs on these two albums were written by Friedrich Hollaender who is featured on the `Berlin...' albums.

For those readers who are not familiar with Ute Lemper's repertoire, these two albums, along with the first `Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill' may be the best introduction to her style of performance. I have yet to hear one of her albums which I did not like; however, I suggest you stay away from her `Best of' album and her `Life is a Cabaret' album. The latter is a takeoff on Lisa Minelli's style and material and while I can listen to it with pleasure, it does not represent Ms. Lemper's best interpretations. If your taste in female vocalists includes Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, and Barbra Streisand, especially for her dramatic and unusual interpretations of some songs, I suspect you will really like these recordings. If you are more fond of jazz vocalists along the lines of Blossom Deary and Billy Holliday, or like traditional Broadway performances as done by Betty Buckley, these may be just a bit too heavily laden with European `Weltshmertz'. Also, if you have no strong tastes in popular female vocalists, I strongly suggest you give these recordings a try. I also suggest that Ms. Lemper even does a better job with these tunes than you may find from a classically trained singer such as Anne Sophie von Otter, who is just a bit too sweet for this peppery material.

For readers who are were attracted to Ms. Lemper by the album, `Punishing Kiss', I strongly recommend these albums even over her Weill material.

Overall, if there is a better vocalist doing European ballads and musical stage numbers, I am not familiar with them. As a long time fan of Barbra Streisand who has found her material a bit flat lately, I am immensely happy to have Ms. Lemper to listen to, and always look forward to her latest material. I just with she would perform more on our shores.

Very highly recommended.

I've seen the live performance film that followed this album; it was released on Laser Disc. It's pretty stunning if you're a Lemper fan. Let's hope that the owners see fit to issue it on DVD

I was most impressed, and moved, by Ute Lemper's rendition of Weill pieces, and her 'Berlin Cabaret Songs' album. This collection of songs, many made famous by Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf, is a big disappointment. The energy, and gut quality of their original interpreters, are missing here. Every song is played at a tortoise's pace, with strange musical accompaniements, the songs hardly recognizable if you are familiar with the originals. A case, perhaps, of Lemper trying too hard to 'modernize' what should be left alone. The end product is embarrassingly self-conscious and shallow.

Who am I to complain about anything Ute does. She's perfect. Really. I do wish though that this had been produced with a bit less lavishness. This music sounds best with a small ensemble, and I'm afraid Ute will never revisit these songs for c.d. and perform them as she does some of them live.

Ute Lemper has mastered the thematic/concept albums. All the songs on this album are linked thematically and the album is much more than simply a tribute album to Dietrich and Piaf. The songs harken back to a time, a place that is no longer and Ms. Lemper dramatically transforms these songs, indeed, relics, themselves, from the past to the modern ear. And the magestic voice of Ute Lemper captures the listener and propels the listener to her own world of drama, the story. One of the most beautiful songs you may ever hear is

This album is one of my all time favorites , I was lucky enough to see her Perform songs from this album in Los Angeles and it was one of the best nights entertainment that I have ever had