Customer Reviews

Let's Get Lost: Songs of Jimmy Mchugh

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

 

 

The gentleman from Texas has no idea what he's talking about. This is a wonderful set of music. Wesla's best yet. Sure she doesn't do "I'm in the Mood for Love" and "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" but I find that a plus. She's found songs that we haven't heard before. "They Really Don't Know You" is a revelation. On top of that the world class playing from the guest stars is worth the price of admission alone. Peplowski and Foster's duelling tenors are swinging and lyrical.

Weslia(or I guess NOW Wesla)Whitfield is a very classy jazz influenced cabaret singer, who truly knows how to bring out the inner beauty in each song she sings. She also ALWAYS sings the verses to songs, which is why she's earned the respect of other jazz musicians and singers, as well as the rare fan, who likes to hear these rare verses(like me). On this cd she sings the songs of Jimmy McHugh, she is most effective on ballads where she can really get into the lyrics, and show off her perfect pitch. Her great sense of swing really shows on I've Got My Fingers Crossed. This set really works for it's got it's fair share of ballads, and swingers, and Whitfield is a more then able swing siger too! Here(and always) she's backed by her hubby on piano, who leads a nice jazz combo. The other nice thing is all of Whitfield's cd's even though she doesn't do too much improvising she's always backed up by the finest jazz musicians today. This cd is a nice place to start to discover the magis of Miss Whitfield(although all of her recordings are worth picking up, and one is just about as good as the other) Recommened, especially for those who like to hear those wonderful verses!

Not many singers are worthy of that phrase "jazz diva", but Miss Whitfield is, she delivers all of her songs(which are jazz standards), with thier original verses. She always is backed by tasteful small jazz combos lead by her hubby Mike Grinsell, and she improvises moderately, and has a bell like clarity to her singing. She has a style all her own, not to mention great diction. Those who appriciate good caberet singer, or jazz singers will enjoy this fine set of Jimmy McHugh standards.

...

Music is very complicated and emotional. It is purely subjective. Each person must have a feel about what is good and likeable in their music. No two people are alike. We are all unique.

For me, the music offered here did nothing to ignite a spark in me. I have tried on many occasions to make this music work for me, but have come up empty handed each time. I got no sense of any kind of emotioanl feeling from these performances. When you do not experience any kind of emotion from a song I would consider that performance a diaster.

I guess this music is not my coup of tea. I am fortunate to have a large collection of jazz cds and am happy to say that I own some truely great performances by some great singers. All is not lost, there is always help right around the corner.

I not going to make any recommendations about this cd.

You have got to be as cold as ice not to LOVE, the romantic stylings of Wesla Whitfoeld, her voice is hauntingly gorgeous, not to mention she has perfect pitch and diction. she also has a special gift of bringing out the inner beauty of every songs she sings. Here she sings songs by Jimmy McHugh, her style is faultless, and her arrangements immaculately done by her husband jazz pianist Mike greensill, WOW! does he ever know how to make wesla's voice sound romantic! This cd, as are all of Whitfield/Greensill collaborations is highly recommended. Wesla never forgets those beautiful verses that other jazz singers today always leave out. This cd is definately recommended to those who love good jazz, and who have loads of class!

Jimmy McHigh wrote many songs that were popular and catchy in the 30's, and they were sung by the lieks of Billie Holiday, Helen Ward, and recently by Darrel Sherman And Banu Gibsin, and now we have Wesla's turn. she turns these warhorses into fresh new creations, using jazz improv and by adding thier never before or rarely sung verses(which complete the story to the songs). Let's get Lost is one of teh finest cuts on the album, but every track is a gem, you will listen to this hundreds of times, a perfect seduction album, because it's so romantic, thanks to Mike's arragemtns and Wesla's sultry voice. The BEST cd I can thin of for an evening of romance.

Fine musical approach ,with musicians obviously enjoying themselves with the arrangments letting all of them shine with appropriate solos.Our singer sings her best, but i must admit that the tendancy to let the final notes go on forever gets annoying at times.I would not have been honest if i didn't mention this.It's hard to erase from our memory LOUIS ARMSTRONG's version of ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET,even with the added verse included here.Every other aspect of this cd is done with good taste ,and JIMMY McHUGH certainly deserve a tribute like this one.Now miss WHITFIELD,how about a tribute to WALTER DONALDSON or VINCENT YOUMANS?That would be nice.

Wesla seems to get better and better. She brings these McHugh songs to life and the band is just fantastic.

By some strange coincidence I bought an album by Terence Blanchard called LET'S GET LOST (The Songs of Jimmy McHugh) two days before I bought this album by Wesla Whitfield called LET'S GET LOST (The Songs of Jimmy McHugh). They are both terrific. (You can, if you wish, see my review of the Blanchard album elsewhere on Amazon.com.) Maybe it's that title song, itself: the version by Chet Baker ain't too bad either!

Each album of Whitfield's shows off the same wonderful, warm, caressing mezzo tones, the same intelligence projecting lyrics and the same common sense to let her husband/accompanist, Mike Greensill, do the arangements which are always as witty as the songs Whitfield sings.

Jimmy McHugh was really only a name to me....mostly, I think, from the movies in which his songs were featured. So many of the songs on this album are so satisfying, so simply beautiful and with lyrics by the likes of Johnny Mercer, Frank Loesser, Dorothy Fields, et al, it is an album to play and re-play and play again. Favorites? the sheer joy of "I Just Found Out About Love" and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me" stick out & "Hooray For Love" has always been tops with me, but truly every single one of the 15 tracks is golden. As are ALL Whitfield's CD's, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I finally have to speak up against Philip Scott's reviews of Wesla's CD's. I'm not sure what his agenda is but he seems to have some sort of vendetta against my arrangements. And he seems insistant, even though he enjoys Wesla's singing, upon giving her "one" star for all her recordings. He complains about the choice of material and I get the impression that he just doesn't like any song he's never heard of. Well Philip, Wesla's forte is the discovery of hidden gems in that glorious body of work called "The Great American Popular Song" so you'll have to live with it! As to my arrangements I could quote to you for days from the glowing reviews I've received in such publications as The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times, The London Times, The Washington Post, Jazz Times, etc. but obviously you know better. I'd like to thank all our fans for letting me rant on, but this guy really got up my nose. Love Mike Greensill