Customer Reviews

Language of Love

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Just like Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now and Christiane Noll's A Broadway Love Story, Welsman's 2002 release is about the arc of love told through a series of songs to convey the perfect shade of excitement, drunkenness of love, heartbreak and a resolution to be wise the second time around. Welsman's song choices are interesting because unlike Mitchell and Noll's hopefulness that love might be back again and can be experienced more maturely, Welsman hinted that her love (told through song) came out much better than the torchiness of the previous ladies. And her voice has this quality that keeps on eluding safe comparisons. In her bouncy and groovy version of Taking a Chance on Love I thought she was channelling Nancy Wilson. Then in her heartbreakingly direct There's No Such Thing As Love I thought she nailed the best vocal qualities of Ruth Cameron. She sounded like Diana Krall in her lower registers especially her breathy phrasing in a song like Can't Help Falling in Love. She makes you remember Marilyn Scott in a On A Slow Boat To China via Dee Dee Bridgewater. Her voice shows a different shade song after song that seems to slowly display a vocal virtuousity she seems uncomfortable to utilize. And yes, that elusive quality of her voice is a demonstration of what she can do vocally -- to bring her vocal instrument to places in the service of a song. She may turn out to be my great discovery of the year. And I especiallyliked her idiomatic French accent in You Must Believe in Spring titled here as Chanson de Maxence. And has anyone heard of a contemporary blues version of Gershwin's The Man I Love. Not since Ella Fitzgerald's bossa nova version of it and Kate Bush's haunting performance of the song, have I been excited. This album is a definite-must.

I bought this CD because of the high praise given it by Amazon reviewers. I listened through in the car with the usual trepidation one feels buying a CD by an unfamiliar artist and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music - innovative arrangements and a captivating voice; great pitch, range, tonal colour, feel and a precise ear for languages (the French version of Michel Legrand's "You Must Believe in Spring" is to die for). There's so much musical variety on the album, I can't imagine ever getting bored with it. Then I got time to sit and read the liner notes. Carol accompanies herself on piano - and she's great! I agree - Karrin Allyson and Diana Krall had better watch their backs. I don't know where Carol's been hiding, but it's time the world recognised a great talent.

Let me be the first to jump on the band wagon in praise of Carol Welsman. She is a major talent. A very clean voice that sparkles with wit and control. The CD contains exceptional music. "Taking a Chance On Love" and "Every Breath You Take" are given daring arrangements that hit the mark. She is the real thing!

I was in an Apple retail store checking on iPods and "You Take Me Away" is a sample song I select. I loved the song so much, I went home that day and ordered 2 of Carol's CD's. Another favorite from this selection is a beautiful version of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square". I'm an instant Carol Welsman fan!

True...the "average customer review" of Carol Welsman's extraordinary CD,
"The Language Of Love" appears to be a mere 4 stars. But that statistic is SO misleading! It is based upon the fact that three reviewers gave Carol at a grand total of 4 stars (1,1,&2) while NINE others praised this
superlative singer, across the board(5 stars each), with a TOTAL SCORE of
FORTY-FIVE STARS! This is how one lies with statistics. And that's not
the bottom line, not yet.
One nay-sayer from 3/04 compared Ms. Welsman unfavorably with three other
jazz wannabes: Connie Evingson, Carmen Lundy, and Paula West --all of whom
are certainly "competent" but are so far out of Carol's league, that they
couldn't even carry her uniforms!
Take Evingson as first example. Her vocal affect is so flat throughout
her albums that it seems identical to her unemotional photo on the front
of her "Gypsy" CD. There's the same disinterested, nasal contact with
every tune. It's not reaching to imagine her showing up for each session,
droning out the songs, putting down the lead sheets, picking up her check
and disappearing out the door--work's over, man!
Carmen Lundy and Paula West are at least more animated and varied in their
treatment of their chosen material. But they, too, are far from the
heights of greatness some would attribute to them. Carmen is good, but
so are hundreds of other R&B singers, from whom she differs very little.
Paula West is somewhat better--mainly because she attempts more challenging items from the Great American Songbook. Oddly, though--for
example on her "Restless" CD--because she includes such non-classics as
"Fixin' A Hole" and "Cow-Cow Boogie" (and calls motherless calves
"doggies" instead of "dogies").

Other (and, I suspect, more knowledgeable) reviewers have supplied
ample justifications for their uniform awarding of 5 stars to this master-
ful Juno-Award-winning singer from Canada. Too bad Amazon's star-rating
cuts off at 5! Carol has earned and deserves many more. (Curiously, at
least two of the low ratings came from her countrymen, or persons, as you will.)

Nevertheless, despite the disparities in talent, fine singers are over-
looked in situations where "popular appeal" outweighs real ability.
If you could round up enough people to make hundreds of thousands of
telephone calls, you too could become the next American Idol! Athletes
of mediocre skills manage to draw salaries that are meteoric out of
all proportion to their actual talents. Then there's politics.

Skewed statistics, drawn from musically illiterate but oh-so-opinionated
members of the general public, may be what America is "all about."
But that really doesn't do justice, does it?

Move over Dianna Krall, there's a new girl next door. Carol Welsman sings with immaculate diction and tonal clarity, and displays an amazing variety of styles with an interesting and constant change of pace and dynamics. Ms. Welsman surprises where others fear to tread. No she is not Dianna, and that's so refreshing! There is so much on this disc to like. I bought it on the blind and got hooked right from track one with "Taking a chance on Love." Highly recommended.

I think Carol Welsman is the finest Jazz Pianist/Vocalist anywhere!

I have given this CD as gifts to 7 or 8 friends-there's not a dull cut on it!

I stumbled upon a Carol Welsman concert special on BET Jazz hosted by Ramsey Lewis. I couldn't believe how awesome Carol's singing and piano-playing was. I couldn't wait to get my hands on her CD's. It is really sad that "The Language of Love" is the only CD by Carol available in the U.S. But, it is a very good CD. I pretty much program the album to just play the 8 songs that I like, but those 8 songs are so good, that I still have to give the whole CD 5 stars. I skip all the really slow songs like "Nightingale" and "Every Breath you Take" and just listen to the more up-tempo, latin-flavored tracks. Carol's version of "Slow Boat to China" is awesome. Her scat-singing is so fun to learn and then sing along with. And, "Coracoa Leviano" is beautiful. The real juicy tracks are the last two "Chanson de Maxence" and "Senza Fine." I would happily pay 20 bucks just to have those two songs alone. So, I don't think people should be disappointed with this album.

As a jazz pianist and recording artist, I applaud Carol's musicianship and performance on this album. Her selection of tunes combines classic favorites with recent hits. The arrangements and musicians are awesome. We all look forward to future albums. The album is well worth the investment.

I happened upon this Carol Welsman offering ..., and I'm thrilled that I took a chance and bought the CD. Alternately sultry, smooth, and swinging. This is another in a great line of jazz songstresses in the mold of Diana Krall and Christine Hitt. Once you give this a listen, you'll be looking for other releases by this talent. Check them out at her website. You won't be sorry.