Customer Reviews

I've Got A Right To Cry

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Inevitably,the comparison to Patsy Cline will surely haunt Mandy Barnett, and understandably so. The same crystal-clear, earthy, sincere vocals that marked Ms. Cline's performances are certainly captured by Mandy. No matter, though: Mandy can stand on her own. This is a wonderful album in which Mandy and her producers, including the late great Owen Bradley, show a definite respect for the material they chose, and delivered a sterling package. The best cuts are undoubtedly "Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings, "The Whispering Wind," and "Trademark." My personal favorite, however, is the glorious rendition of "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming." With Mandy's superb rendition and Natalie Cole's treatment on "Snowfall on the Sahara," perhaps this wonderful song will get some more recognition! But, back to Mandy---it's a great album and I can't wait for more!

I've been a fan of Mandy since I discovered her self-titled album and heard "Planet of Love" coming out of a jukebox, and thought it was Patsy Cline! Her newest album is SUPERB! Traditional Country music is back. Thank Gawd someone woke up to that fake pop stuff that Garth Brooks and Shania Twain are singing and put out some REAL country music - thank you Mandy! I've listened to her newest album quite a few times and never tire of it! For other Mandy stuff look for these: **1. "Always..Patsy Cline (Live at the Ryman)1995. Mandy sings 17 of Patsy's Songs. (You can find this CD under Patsy Cline listings. A Must have! **2. "Traveller" (movie Soundtrack). There are 3 non-album songs by Mandy on this CD which you can't find anywhere else! She sings Dark Moon, Dream Lover, and Searching (For Someone Like You) - all old country cover tunes! Look for them and add them to your Mandy collection - you won't be disappointed!!

And she does have a right to cry! (For not being the megastar she has the chops to be.)

For some strange reason I was turned off by the constant comparisons of Mandy Barnett to Patsy Cline. Remembering that the wildly overrated LeeAnn Rimes has also received such dubious comparison, I thought to myself "who are they kidding?". So being short-sided, I had never heard her voice. But I saw this CD at my library and I laughed and said "oh, what the heck". What the heck is right.

I was really blown away by this. We are talking TNT! This is not an imitation of Patsy by any means. Patsy's influence on Mandy is obvious, but she makes it something all her own. Even the most cynical of country music fans longing for the "old school" will find this a voice and an album to be reckoned with. It is as good as any country music that you will ever hear by anyone from any time (putting aside the "aged" factor that older recordings can offer).

As if working with Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and k.d. lang hadn't been enough for Owen Bradley, he just had to bring another phenom to our attention. It's too bad he wasn't around long enough to keep at it. He is truly one of the greatest producers that has ever lived. I could listen to his Brenda Lee work from the 50s and especially the 60s all day (come to think of it, I have many times). And why Mandy Barnett isn't better known is both a tragedy and a mystery. Hopefully she'll get a good agent without having to sell out.

A voice like this will only come along once or twice in a lifetime. So pay attention!

I'VE GOT A RIGHT TO CRY, Mandy Barnett's second album, might just as well be titled "I've Got A Right to Sing Like Patsy." Her qualifications: she portrayed the late great singer in a Nashville stage production called Always...Patsy Cline four nights a week for two years. Plus, Barnett's producer, the late Owen Bradley, discovered Patsy and produced her biggest hits. While Barnett's powerful voice doesn't quite approach the heights of Patsy's, she does a fine job delivering the kind of smooth, sophisticated country that made Cline a pop crossover in the '50s and '60s. On songs like "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming," "The Whispering Wind" and the title track, Barnett alternately belts and croons about heartbreak, accompanied by lush orchestration and oohing-aahing backup singers.

The uptempo tracks like "Falling, Falling, Falling" and "Ever True Evermore" are fun, kicking numbers featuring fiddle, banjo and steel guitar, and Barnett sounds so traditional that you almost expect her to let loose with a cowgirl's "Yee-haw!" between verses. It's that quality that makes I'VE GOT A RIGHT TO CRY appealing to country fans left cold by the '90s version of the format, and non-country fans who'll find the CD hip and "retro."

Those who love Patsy Cline know by now that Mandy Barnett got her real start in the music business playing Cline in a play called "Always . . . Patsy Cline." Of course there are similarities between their voices, but as great as Cline was, Barnett is just as good. In her early 20s when she recorded "I've got a Right to Cry," Barnett displays an astonishing ease and maturity. Her voice has darker tones than Cline's--more molasses than maple syrup--and Owen Bradley, a former Cline album producer, knows just how to play up those tones with sophisticated arrangements. Before working with Barnett, Bradley produced and arranged one of k. d. lang's albums, and you can see the similarities between lang's voice and Barnett's. Bradley was the right choice for both. Barnett is especially good on the title track, "I've Got a Right to Cry," swinging easily from sulkiness to wheedling to outright sorrow. On "Trademark," her voice takes on a gorgeous come-hither feel as she enumerates all the different ways she tempts a man. All in all, a stellar performance from a too-little-known singer with a handsome voice.

Ever since Patsy Cline died, it seems that record companies have been looking for the next Patsy Cline, except that when somebody comes along who sounds a lot like Patsy, it scares them. So it was that Mandy Barnett, who comes closer to Patsy's sound than anybody else has ever done, generated a lot of interest but had only limited success. This is sad because this album (her second) is full of quality. The Patsy similarities are emphasised by the production team. Owen Bradley (Patsy's producer in the sixties) was at the helm on four tracks - the last tracks he ever produced. The remaining tracks were co-produced by Mandy with two other members of the Bradley family.

Perhaps the real reason for Mandy's limited success is that her music did not fit in with contemporary country radio. Several of the songs are oldies including Give myself a party (Don Gibson), Funny familiar forgotten feelings (a country hit for Don Gibson but a UK pop hit for Tom Jones), Trademark (Porter Wagoner) and Don't forget to cry (written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant). Several tracks also feature prominent steel guitar, which is not appreciated by contemporary country radio.

So this is a great album for traditional country fans but it didn't establish Mandy as the major country star that she deserves to be.

Those pining for the smooth country-pop of Patsy Cline will find much to like on Barnett's sophomore release. Two years in the stage production "Always... Patsy Cline," ripened Barnett for this nostalgic stroll down Countrypolitan Way; the luminous talent of Owen Bradley (Cline's original producer who passed away mid-album) provides the guiding light.

And while these spirits thoroughly permeate the sound, they don't overwhelm Barnett's talent and enthusiasm. Joe Liggins' "I've Got a Right to Cry" swings with sophisticated, jazzy guitars and a torchy vocal. "Give Myself a Party" conjures the blue side of Ricky Nelson with a twist of Connie Francis, and the upbeat, fiddle-driven "Falling, Falling, Falling" is straight from a 50s barn dance.

The principals' finesse makes this much more than a nostalgic gimmick. There's a ghost (or two) in the machine, but surrounded by lush orchestral and choral arrangements, tick-tack bass and tinkling pianos, Barnett has revitalized the Nashville Sound with this heartfelt album.

I don't really listen to much country music, but I have to admit that this disk caught my ear. It was a gift from some Tennesseans who had seen the Pasty Cline act starring Mandy. The production quality is near perfect, with mixes that allow the character of each instrument to be heard AND allow Mandy's wonderful voice to stand out. I like to listen to it in the car, especially at night or when it is raining. I'd give it 5 stars but I'm not a huge country music fan.

This is a very special album. Patsy Cline is, obviously, the strongest vocal influence here but you can also hear traces of Linda Ronstadt, Loretta Lynn, and Connie Francis, here and there. Listening to this album brings back memories of listening to old, scratchy Decca LP's on the huge console phonograph- it has the same emotional impact of those old classic records and has NOTHING in common with today's country artists or radio playlists. Upon hearing a track like "Don't Forget to Cry"- a Cline-ish tear jerker with a sweet string arrangement- it's hard not to be moved. The classic production of Owen Bradley fits Mandy's vocal talents like a glove. A classic!

After you hear Mandy's voice you will know what I mean. Her voice is so clear and strong song after song. In 2005 I saw and heard her perform in Hanover, PA. Her voice is amazing.

On her I've Got A Right To Cry CD, just listen to her sing these songs; The Wispering Wind, With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming, and Don't Forget To Cry. It is so beautiful.