Customer Reviews

Janet Klein's Scandals: 'Living In Sin'

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

 

 

Yes! You will dance round the kitchen floor in wild abandon when you play this one! This is a truly great showcase for pure joy, energy and enthusiastic musicality. The best I've heard of its type, and I listen to as much as I can. Janet Klein's lilting vocals can reduce one to tears in an instance, whether from laughter or sentimentality. And what can be written about Ian Whitcomb (Janet's No 1 Parlor Boy) that hasn't already been written? He is the jewel in Queen Janet's crown. Don't miss this one or you'll deprive yourself of a little piece of Happiness Heaven.

Janet Klein's Scandals or Living in Sin is the perfect introduction for the unitiated into the mysteries of the ukulele diva/chanteuse and her ultra-hip retro band The Parlor Boys. A critical fave in the L.A. literary/art/music scene -- Klein is accomplished in several media -- the band plays naughty songs from early in the previous century, and does so with suave aplomb. I noted the prior reviewer's unfavorable review of the work on this cd. I, however, found the songs to be more of an homage than a facsimile. From Hollywood Party (everything you might imagine), the almost giddy rendition of Baby O' Mine to Ballin' the Jack, that timeless song to which countless kids in tap classes learned the old shuffle ball change, Klein interprets songs in her own way. Klein does not, nor should she, mimic the work of others on Scandals, the Betty Boop quality to her voice is in reality her natural voice, as one who has attended her concerts and interviewed her can attest. Trust me, this CD is a Real Keeper.

Indulging my fondness for music of days gone by, I took a chance on Ms Klein's "Living in Sin". I'm ever so glad I did. The collection captures the sense and sound of the 20's and 30's, and yet is as immediate as a clean shave. Wonderful and playful, and packaged in beautiful artwork that invokes the yesteryear of the source material. Every track is a gem, and I was particularly delighted to find Ms Klein had covered "Everyone Says, I Love You", which I knew from Horsefeathers, the Marx Bros movie.

If you're tempted, get it.

(Confidential to Miss Klein: Please cover Ada Jones's "The Yama Yama Man", circa 1907, soon!)

Another great selection of songs from an era yet untouched by excessive sampling and covers. Refreshing to hear fresh music....ironic it is 80-90 years back. The players are obviously into the genre for real...well worth a listen...it grows on you.

Not just for a Hollywood Party, but this cd is for any 1920's flapper get together. We have the greatest ragtime pianist of our time Brad Kay on piano and trumpet(no that's not Bubber Miley). And Klein dishing out the Ruth Etting style vocals, and an array of talented string players(ukulele, guitar, banjo), many celebrities like Ian Whitcomb(accordian and ukulele), and Miss Klein plays some uke too! If you like obscure 1920's tunes and campy 1920's style hot jazz, novelty dance band music, and vaudeville music, then this is for you, everything from Sophie Tucker style dialogue singing to Eva Taylor style blues squeeling, however mostly high piutche dRuth Etting imitiations. GREAT CD!!!

Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys do covers of songs made famous during the Jazz Age (the Roaring Twenties) and also perform some original numbers. Her Parlor Boys are various studio musicians and are very good at what they do -- make music.

The covers they perform on this album include songs from Annette Hanshaw, The Charleston Chasers (see their line up of artists!), Ted Weems Orchestra featuring Parker Gibbs, and many others, all of whom made chart toppers. Some, and probably most of the songs, were written on Tin Pan Alley. You can look up all these references on Wikipedia.

Not really knowing which album to buy first, I decided on this one. I did good! But now, I want them all. One hundred years from now, Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys will be remembered for their contribution to The Jazz Age music collection. The music is delightful, campy sometimes, but always delightful.

If you purchase this album, be sure to look at the notes in the mp3's catalogue information. I suggest that you buy this for this reason along with It's Just Plain Wonderful music!

If you are looking for similar artists (artists who cover Jazz Age music), search for

Jessica Molaskey
The Midnight Serenaders
Debbie Arthurs' Sweet Rhythm
The Charleston Chasers -- (they're still swingin'. Read about 'em on Wiki)
The Stolen Sweets

These artists are all available here at amazon. They are all I know of. If you know of others, please recommend.

Finally.... JUST BUY IT! You'll become a fan very quickly!

I really enjoy Janet Klein's CD's. They're unique. The shipper gave an accurate description, and the package arrived in a timely manner.

This is quite a fun collection of songs recorded by someone who knows what the period is all about. The assortment is great, and I love especially Everybody Says I Love You and The Sheik of Avenue B. Yes, they may not be quite politically correct as to today's standards, but if something annoys you, DON'T LISTEN TO IT! For the rest of us, laugh and sing along to those old but not forgotten goodies. The musicianship is of course stellar as it is provided by not only Ian Whitcomb but a very talented and cohesive group of Parlor Boys. And if you are a vintage dancer, this has to be in your music library. And for the grouser who complained that Janet is just "singing through her nose," I'm sure you would be better off listening to someone like Mariah Carey.

I have every CD that Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys have released, and this is perhaps my favorite, along with Put a Flavor to Love. The songs are fun and beautifully recorded, and I find myself dancing around and singing along whenever I play this superlative release. I wish I lived in Southern California so that I could see her perform live - it sounds like she's having so much fun and I want to be there in person.

There's joy indeed in hearing such obscure film melodies as "Hollywood Party" and "My Bluebird Is Singing the Blues" outside of their celluloid realm, yet I can't help but remain somewhat wistful over the treatment given here. If Miss Klein had opted to sing through her throat, instead of her nose, the results might not only have been happier, but more authentic to the period. I'll never understand the prevalent queer notion that any song from the 20's and 30's requires an imitation of Betty Boop to put it over. Certainly, this affectation was not present in the original recordings. As it is, if you're especially fond of the Broadway revival of "42ND STREET" you'll go for this in a big way. If you're a vintage musical fan, though, this is best avoided. On a positive note, the arrangements and musical accompaniment are delightful... but the vocalist is little more than a parody of a 1950's parody of a 1920's/30's vocalist. Pity.