Customer Reviews

Lady Sings the Blues

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

 

 

A Great Gift Album. At my tender age of 61 a family member ordered this album. The engineering is as smooth as the music; super sound and super stars. "New" pop, jazz, etc., have nothing to offer compared to those singing pioneers, who just became better and better with age. Anything else is just a mere copy of perfection. There isn't another Peggy Lee, who I heard on stage in the 1960s. She awed everyone with her love of music and a generous performance filled with so many encores for an audience with endless requests. All the Ladies on the album are the best singing so many "best" classics-all blues-of course!

Lady Sings The Blues is a marvelous two CD set that has so much to offer! This really gives people a large amount of timeless ballads from some of the best divas of the entire twentieth century. The sound quality is excellent and the artwork is very thoughtful.

Sarah Vaughan kicks off the set with her wonderful interpretation of "Key Largo." Sarah sounds just lovely and her ability to play with tempo changes impresses me greatly. The musical arrangement is rather jazzy as well. There's also "Embraceable You" sung by Dianne Reeves; Dianne sings this with all her heart and soul. The tempo is slowed down somewhat from the tempo I'm used to but this ballad as sung here by Dianne Reeves still holds its own very well. Della Reese also sounds great on "Call Me." "Call Me" has a particularly lush arrangement and Della's voice is rich, warm and rather vibrant. Della sure could belt out a tune!

Dinah Washington turns in a fine performance on "Call Me Irresponsible;" this tune gets the royal treatment from Dinah and she was born to sing songs like these! Dinah's energy makes this a major highlight of this two CD set and I'm sure you'll like it as much as I do. Moreover, Nancy Wilson's "The Very Thought Of You" is absolutely perfect--Nancy delivers this with panache, heart and soul! The strings are used to great advantage and the piano arrangement is very elegant as well. Kay Starr sings a stunning version of "It Had To Be You;" if this is your type of music then I dare you not to like this!

The second CD continues the hits. Sarah Vaughan returns to sing a passionate rendition of "Stormy Weather." Sarah bats this one straight out of the ballpark and she never sings a superfluous note, either! Sarah Vaughan always remains one of my favorite songbirds of all time; and just one listen will tell you why. Cassandra Wilson also sings "Someday My Price Will Come" with a slow, romantic delivery that just amazes me whenever I hear it; and listen also for "You've Changed" by the great Nancy Wilson. "You've Changed" is a classic bluesy ballad that Nancy infuses with so much emotion that it truly shines here on this set.

Julie London sings "Cry Me A River;" many people said that this song in actuality belonged to Julie London--and I think those people are right! Julie sings this with a degree of sensitivity that only she could muster. Keely Smith also does a smash-up job on "I Wish You Love;" Keely's voice is very rich and warm. "I Wish You Love" stuns me with its natural beauty. The CD set also ends well with Lena Horne performing "We'll Be Together Again." "We'll Be Together Again" is the perfect ending to this two CD set.

Overall, blues music aficionados cannot afford to go without this two CD set. These timeless ballads shine so well; don't be surprised if you find yourself listening to this practically every day of the year!

The fire of Etta James, the elegance, clarity and perfect pitch of Ella and the sophomoric verve of newcomer Norah Jones creates an amazing mosaic of the incredible history of women in jazz. I initially found myself trying to find a logical connection between the very diverse tracks and artists but resigned those analytical impulses to the emotion, truth and appeal of the CD. It somehow alludes the discombobulation of typical "best of" CD's but rather delivers a very fluid soundtrack feel. It seems to indirectly chronicle the struggle, tenacity and success of the best women in jazz; excellent production underscores the legendary tracks and voices.

Persons who like good music should get this CD. Once you know that music should fill one of the essential points, i.e., bed time, alone time or love making time, then you will realize that this album is a must. The vocals are excellent and the ladies take you on a journey with them along the course of the album.

My advice, go out and buy the album. You will never regret it

Lady Sings The Blues is a spectacularly rich Capitol Records compilation of women jazz/blues singers in a 2-CD collection that has the listener begging for more.

Combining legendary chanteuses such as Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald with the modern ones (Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall, Norah Jones), this release rolls out older and newer songs that these ladies interpret with gusto and panache.

No weak cuts on these records, but here are a few standouts,"Embraceable You" by Reeves, "Solitude" by Fitzgerald, "Key Largo" by Vaughn, "Don't Go To Strangers" by the great Etta James ("At Last"), "Call Me" by everyone's favorite overseeing angel Della Reese, and many others, the classic "Something Cool" by June Christy.

This is a wonderful collection that shows that in today's hip-hop influenced music culture that there is still room for the old standards.

I bought this CD for one song, but ended up loving both discs, as it is laid out better than most DJ's could put a set together...perfection:)

Everyone of these ladies are stellar stylists of music. Each of them can wrench every ounce of meaning from a lyric and evoke deep feelings in their listeners. Sarah Vaughn, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Nancy Wilson, Norah Jones, etc. are all great interpreters of the music of imminent popular composers. In this collection, each artist sings a melancholy standard by such notables as Gershwin, Porter, Ellington, etc. Although these songs relate to those less than joyful moments in life, there is not a traditional "blues" song in the bunch! Nor do these ladies commit the sacrilege of trying to give a "bluesy" spin to these songs. Therefore, the name of this item is misleading. This should not distract from this wonderful collection of standard tunes by these great ladies of song. These ladies do what they excel in doing. They bring their own unique interpretaions to these tunes and our souls ache even as we enjoy them. I recommend this item and will purchase "Lady Sings the Blues II.

Wow these womens voice can sound as deep as the ocean to as high as the everlasting sky. Each song & singer is fantastic!

This is a very nice cd. The contributions by Norah Jones and Patricia Barber alone are well worth the price. Where is Tierney Sutton?!

Altho the disk spans 50 years of torch singing, it amazed me how all these ladies sound the same. Only Etta James stands out with some life in her voice, everyone else is so so smooth I lose track of who is singing.