Customer Reviews

The Lady With The Torch

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The name of Patti LuPone is hardly unbeknown to the musical theatre aficionados all over the world. For the last 25 years she has been one of the ultimate divas in the genre, memorable both to the American and London audiences and cast recordings collectors as the big, passionate and brassy voice of Evita, Norma Desmond, Fantine, Reno Sweeney or Mrs. Lovett.

Seven years have passed since Ms. LuPone's last studio work, the wonderful album of intimate love songs, called "The matters of the heart", which `The New York Times' rightfully labeled as `the album of the year'. This new album deals with the same emotion put in a different context: this time, it's about the unrequited love. More specifically, we are treated with the carefully selected famous American torch songs. The concert entitled "The lady with the torch" has been Patti's sold-out show for quite some time and this album represents the highlights of the evening.

Some may wonder about this selection of the material, especially when the ground has already been covered in the past by the likes of Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald. It will take just a few sung notes from Patti though, to put everyone's mind at ease. There are several points that make this album so special. First one, obviously, is the famous golden voice who delivers the songs. Approaching 60, Ms. LuPone's vocal power with its incredible range still sounds at its best, secure and lively as ever. Each song on this CD is a proof of that. Also, one cannot help but feel she gave these songs a whole new life, making them her own, as if they were written especially for her, judging from the way she decided to not only sing them, but interpret/act them as well. The best examples are the shy and touchy deliverance of `The other woman' contrasted with the fierce and gradual determination of `I wanna be around', the latter portraying a vengeful lover who has been discarded. All the other songs, including the standard `The man I love', are a winner.

Secondly, the orchestrations are done wonderfully well. They are a testament of the age when songs were created while at the same time they don't have the same expected sound and successfully blend the tune with the voice.

Lastly, the album has Patti LuPone's candid and hilarious remarks about the whole concept of the show and each of the songs. This again confirms her sense of humor, often seen in her interviews and her official website.

So in the end, `The lady of the torch' has all the Patti LuPone fans will want: wonderful and unique vocal interpretation, carefully selected material packed together with some good tunes. They certainly won't need any convincing into buying it. For the others, interested in hearing the old standards, this is also the best way to start discovering why this lady has been a toast of musical theatre fans for so many years.

I just saw Patti Lu Pone last night at Lincoln Center, where she performed a one night engagement for Equity Fights AIDS. Basically this was her opportunity to showcase the material from this wonderful new album "Lady With A Torch". Her band, the same ten-peice ensamble from this recording and Patti were in top form. There's no doubt Patti Lu Pone is the most gifted female singer alive. That's not just my opinion. Ask anyone present last night, where she brought down the house. Patti not only has an extraordinary voice, she has the artistry and skill to match. No one is in her league. She has the rare ability to convey such deep emotion, without reaching too far, without sounding overly dramatic and forced...There's absolutely no one alive who can stand in her shoes. Patti flat-out knows how to sing...Period...Ended!!!

Buy this album...No better still rush out and grab it ASAP. It's the next best thing to hearing Patti Lu Pone live. Last night's performance was an extraordinary opportunity to hear the greatest living torch singer on the planet. Take it to the bank...Patti delivers. You'll love this album. And if you don't, go out and get your ears checked!!!

I've enjoyed Patti Lupone on her Broadway recordings, but wasnt sure what to expect from this, as I've never bought any of her studio recordings. If you are expecting more of a Broadway performance here, you may be disappointed at first (I was), but with repeated listenings, I've really grown to love this CD. This is a more subdued singer, but it fits really well with the song selections, though some of these songs really arent torch songs per se. There are some classic songs here (The Man I Love) along with some songs I hadnt heard before (A Cottage For Sale). Very nice orchestral arrangements too. Some of the best cuts: I Wanna Be Around (her vindictiveness is infectious!);My Buddy; Body and Soul; (both wonderful): I'm Through With Love. The final cut, Dont Like Goodbyes is one of my favorite Harold Arlen songs and ends the set beautifully. A very nice selection of torchy songs that are thoughtfully performed.

This CD became an immediate staple in my collection. Ms. LuPone's voice glows: she is distinctive, rich, and memorable.

I find Patti's voice and performance compelling in everything she does. Rather than bland, uninspired pop-vocals, her singing is lush and unusual. She brings an edgy, compelling twist to a great selection of standards here, and is full of emotion and expression. As with her "Matters of the Heart" album, she transitions smoothly from power-house belting to soft, sexy and sweet.

This album is great mood music, I've spent this autumn listening to the CD in my car with the windows open to the cool air. It's a release. The whole album is so sheerly emotional, it just glows with passion and feeling. The song choices and orchestrations live up the delivery. All around great versions of the songs.

I would not change a thing on this album, though those new to Patti might want to check out "Matters of the Heart" first, for a more diverse demonstration of her ability. You don't get a feel here for her humor and ability to handle faster songs. She is a ball to listen to having fun, and it is the only thing one misses here. However, some new songs have just been released online (check iTunes) as "Lady With The Torch...Still Burning" and have a more diverse feel to them, so be sure to check those out in tandem with the CD.

I'd also take with a grain of salt any review that needs to mention a "bad experience" with a performer. While my encounter with her was lovely, any personality qualms are as irrelevant to a review of this album as complaining about her haircut or the car she drove to the recording studio. And, frankly, she could kick me in the knee-caps and it probably wouldn't get this album out of my stereo.

(And, for the record, additional cred is lost when someone has violently strong feelings about an album but can't spell the performer's name.)

I am generally just a musical theater fan, and stick to cast recordings for my listening. Patti is one of the only performers I can think of who I crave to hear just for the enjoyment pleasure of her voice, regardless of a show. She's a pleasure, and never a bore. Really. Take a listen.

I always have enjoyed Patti LuPone whether singing or acting ever since she portrayed Eva Perone, but I can't say that I have ever thought of purchasing any music other than a Broadway show with which she was connected, but for some reason or other when I read about this latest CD on Amazon, the music appealed to me and I thought, what's the worst can happen, I'll buy it, listen to it once and see if anyone else would like it. Was I in for a big surprise, I knew she had a terrific voice, but wow! wow, wow! that lady can really sing, every song is a gem, I have been playing it over and over and over!! I love it, I urge any customers who enjoy great music, fabulous voice, terrific arrangements, buy this album, Whatever torch you've been carrying will be put out quickly by the gorgeous voice of Ms. LuPone!!!!

Prime Cuts: Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry, A Cottage for Sale, Don't Like Goodbyes

There's a gripping melancholy that slithers through this album. Like a scarlet thread that entangles the heart, the songs on this Broadway diva's latest effort will leave a bittersweet aftertaste that would not go away. Describing herself as a "torch" singer, LuPone offers three alternate definitions as to what a torch song is. "Torch" songs are performed by an unrequited lover carrying a touch waiting for her paramour to return. Alternatively, "torch" songs are songs of vengeance where the jilted lover literally sets the creep's house on fire. Conversely, these are paeans short for torture as they deal with loss and sorrow. Nevertheless, regardless of the semantics of "torch songs," these are paeans with a saturnine disposition.

While many of LuPone's fans may be acquainted with her power belting prowess on broadways such as "Evitas," the LuPone on disc is more subdued. Though there are no paroxysms of emotions, but there's a sensitive clemency nurtured upon her delivery. This can only come from an artist who has had lived and breathed each syllable as if she were singing words right out of her own diary. Listen no further than the LuPone's plaintive read of Frank Sinatra's "Guess I'll Hang My Tears to Dry." Never aping the Old Blue Eyes' patented phrasing, LuBone's slow and tortured vocal inundation brings out a fresh layer of pain so often overlooked in this oft covered chestnut. Similarly, on "Cottage for Sale," "Early Autumn," "Don't Like Goodbyes" LuPone beautifully saturates each syllable with a pulse from a broken heart.

With an album of ballads, though befitting to the album's concept, this has also provide occasion for monotony. Perhaps, some more rousing moments, say a swing number or two, would have easily taken care of this lacuna, Further, though Chris Fenick's orchestra's backings are stately and apt, they are by far too safe. Nevertheless, if you are looking for an excuse to indulge into some of America's best tearjerkers of yore by a singer who sings as if they were her own experiences, LuPone's the answer. For the broken heart, LuPone's torch songs illuminates the dark alleys of loneliness with empathy and company.

For those of us who have been following Patti's career, this is a wonderful change. As she approaches 60, her voice is still magnificent, and she sings with a new control, less nasal, but still Patti. Wailing to God with that voice but more control, more nuance, and more of what a fantastic singer conveys... dare you to listen to this and not think of at least one failed relationship. She, like Liza and Bette, show that true talent lasts, and we're better for the fact that they're still around.

Patti Lupone's "The Lady With The Torch" is the ablum of her's I've been waiting for forever. I've been a fan of Lupone's since "The Baker's Wife". I was so disappointed with her other solo album efforts, but here I hear those great pipes grinding into my heart. Thank you Patti, for doing what you do best.

I recently saw Ms. LuPone on Broadway in Sweeney Todd...don't believe the person who hated it; She was perfect! I have listened to this CD several times and I cannot get bored. Her voice is perfect for this kind of music and she gives each song a special interpretation: I find myself attentively listening to both lyrics and music which seem perfectly matched through Ms. Lupone's interpretation. There were previous Patti LuPone CD's I did not care for but this one shows a different more introspective side; she lets her voice follow the music. One recommendation: If you like Patti LuPone, consider the new Sweeney Todd cast album. Both Ms. LuPone as Mrs. Lovett and Michael Cerveris as Sweeney do a wonderful job portraying these very odd characters.

What a thrill! I have been waiting for a new Patti CD for quite some time...she sure does deliver!