Customer Reviews

Just for You

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After having recently purchased Knight's most recent release "At Last," I had to go back and review this one. To borrow that oft-used cliche', words truly cannot describe the voice of Gladys as she so soulfully bares all on every single selection. Particular standouts are "I Don't Want to Know," "Home Alone," a reworking of Mayfield's classic "Choice of Colors," "Guilty," and the triumphantly majestic "End of the Road Medley." Like other reviewers, I agree that Knight is not getting older, just better.

After the disppointment that was Good Woman, one of the truly greatest voices in contemporary music got it all together on this gem and released one of the greatest soul albums of the 90s. With sympathetic production, especially from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Gladys purrs and growls in her gorgeous rich alto and sings with a passion that can lift your spirit or have you bawling your eyes out. There is not one weak track on here and the End of the Road medley could go on and on forever as far as I'm concerned but why oh why was that stupid monologue tacked onto the very end? What comes before is just so sublime, though, that this still gets five stars.

Once again Miss Knight has topped herself. Every track on this CD is a hit. Her song "Home Alone" has been the source of many good cries when I'm feeling lonely. I love her voice, it's full and well developed. The girl can sang. Buy the CD, this is one of very few CDs that I have loved each and every track. So you know its all that and a bag of chips.

Gladys striked back in 1994 with a great collection.
Maybe my prayers were answered, fact is this time she has teamed up with more contemporary and well-known writers and producers.
And it does a fat good to her.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis write and prooduce both NEXT TIME and the desperation lament of HOME ALONE; Babyface skillfully tells, produces and backs up on the final statement of a woman who finds out about her man cheating on her with I DON'T WANNA KNOW. I'LL FALL IN LOVE IF YOU HANG AROUND sees Rhett Lawrence and Bebe Winans behind the wheel.
OUR LOVE is a nice uptempo and CHOICE OF COLORS is Gladys covering Curtis Mayfield.
But the hot spot of the whole collection is a live medley of old and new classic standards almost 12.00 minutes long, something that gives the real stature of this woman on stage...
END OF THE ROAD MEDLEY is soooooo good.
Gladys is a true star!

"I Don't Want To Know"(writen by Babyface), "Home Alone" e "Choice of Colors"(from Curtis Mayfield) are awfull and a great introdution to the powerfull, unforgetable performance of "End Of The Road, medley, live"! If you are down, depressed... hear this track. Hardly, you won't feel the energy, the ecstasy taking all your body, and your soul and your mind... Why don't we hear it on the radio? (hey, MCA, wake up!)This CD deserves 5 stars only for this medley! It's soul music! It's Gladys Knight!

There are some very good songs here like, Next Time, Choice of Colors, Guilty, and I don't Want to Know. The live, End of the Road medley may be a little overdrawn, but the soulful intensity of the last few soaring minutes make up for it. The other songs range from decent to maudlin. That being said Gladys Knight is one of the best soul singers around. She can make even the most mediocre song worth hearing. The same was said of Aretha, her voice was worth hearing, regardless of the song. Gladys Knight can wring so much emotion out of a song. Listen to her range of emotion in the song, I Don't Want to Know, going from betrayal and hurt to resolve and strength; or her defiance in Guilty, a song that deals with oppression. Choice of Colors, a Curtis Mayfield song, she sings in a self assured, liberating manner. In The End of the Road medley she traces the music that influenced her, "blue lights in the basement songs", to the climactic Boyz to Men's, End of the Road. The song features talented and stirring backing vocals. The only thing that ruins this song is the fade out patter of Glady's motivational speaker husband. This woman's voice is aging like fine wine, only getting better.

with a voice like gladys knight's, one could sing from the telephone directory and sound meaningful, but that's not good enough for knight whose made it her mission to expose listeners to music that touches the soul. much like natalie cole, knight feels that there is something missing from today's music an endeavors to transport fans to a time "when there were blue lights in the basement"; unlike cole, knight attempts to fill that void by combining original compositions with covers. the songs on _just for you_ deal directly and deeply with issues such as racism-"guilty", "choice of colors"-and heartache-"next time", "i don't want to know" . additionally, "i'll fall in love if you hang around" and "somehow" reflect knights emotional and vocal range, reaffirming her membership in the quartet of soul music's ultimate divas which also includes patti labelle, aretha franklin and chaka khan. the album closes with a medley of songs which illustrates knight's point-"if you don't know me by now", "love don't love nobody", "end of the road". knight allows herself a ray of hope with the inclusion of "end of the road", a song which she feels carries on in the tradition of time when music was more about the art of song than the art of marketing.

The gem on this album is "End of the Road Medley", Knight's live tribute to the musicians of yesterday who made music with SOUL, and she thanks Boyz II Men for "getting it right"! I agree, and it's a not to be missed tribute.

That being said, I also liked "Our Love", a feel good track with great vocals. "I Don't Want to Know" was a sappy ballad produced by Babyface that received lots of radio airply.

Surprisingly, some of the tracks from big name producers like Babyface, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Next Time), and BeBe Winans (I'll Fall in Love if You Hang Around), and George Duke (Somehow He Loves Me) were not that memorable.

The personification of grace and womanhood, Ms. Knight is 1000% true talent. Her voice is timeless. Her music memorable. Just For You reminds us of all the things we've experienced in our hearts over the years (try to listen to the track I DON'T WANT TO KNOW without shedding a tear) but just couldn't find the words to say. She sings with such raw feeling that you can practically hear the tears in her voice.

Having the fortune to have seen her twice live in concert in Las Vegas, I was wowed both times, and truly came to appreciate the maturity of a seasoned performer who so many of us grew up hearing and loving. Thank you, Gladys Knight, for continuing to entertain and enthrall the world with your precious gift.

First of all, I LOVE Gladys Knight, all the tape you sent me are great I have no problem with them at all. I'm ready to go and order some more old tape now, You will be hearing from me real soon. I will be telling some of friends about Amazon.com.