Customer Reviews

Live Up & Close

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was very impressed with this album, contrary to some opinions , it has a great blend of new material and some of BeBe's classic songs performed with CeCe all of which are wonderfully arranged and produced. From the opening studio track "Do you know him" (pay special attention to the background vocals by Kayla Parker) the jazzy live rendition of the classic "Amazing Grace" to the wonderful duet with baby sister Debbie on the "Medley" which showcases Debbie's wonderful vocal talents (hope to see a solo album from Debbie in the very near future). The album also includes new material like the upbeat "Thank you for being you" and "I Believe". The live portion is performed at the BET Studios in Washington DC, the setting is nice and relaxed and the band and vocalists backing up BeBe are very talented.
BeBe is one of gospel music's greatest singers and songwriters and this album once again shows why he is one of the most recognized and sought after artists in the music industry today. He continues to inspire and break new ground in Gospel music and music period, which is refreshing as well as much needed.

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I don't know what everyone else is listening to but this CD is the bomb. I am a fan and I admit "love and freedon" was a bit weak. But this one is the bomb!!!! Starting off with BeBe joining with Kayla Parker on "Do you know him" then to his rendition of "Amazing Grace". GREAT!!! Highlights are those previously memtioned as well as "I fell in love with GOD/This song", the medley with Debbie I can't enough of, Humpty Dumpty, and with the help on one of the Dawkins brothers "Lay them down" is smooth.

BeBe is one of the best vocalist out there today. His Christian stance is not questionable on this CD at ALL!!! PICK IT UP AND YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!!

I bought this DVD and album many months ago. Probably listen to it a couple of times a week. It literally helped me out of that "midnight hour" that BeBe speaks of. It's beautiful, Debbie Winans is amazing and the musicians look and sound like they have a wonderful "thing" going on.

Every song on this CD is AWESOME!!! To make it even better, his sister Debbie Winans is singing with him on a couple of songs. These people can sing!! Debbie Winans, I am waiting on your Solo debut. BeBe also has Stephanie Mills singing a song by herself, which is awesome.... BeBe, please continue to Bless us with songs that lift of HIS NAME!!!

BeBe's New Cd is great,yet still I wish he and CeCe would stop playing games and get back together. I have all of their Cd's together and apart and I love every CD they have dropped together and apart. But I think that by themselves their great but together they're phenomenal. Anyways back to this cd I'm enjoying this cd I think its his best solo one to date. My picks for best songs. Do You know him,I fell in love with God,I Wanna Be,Medley(so hot all I have to say is Midnight Hour)It All comes down to love, Humpty Dumpty.

I ordered the Bebe Live & Up Close CD. It arrived quickly, well packaged, and I play it frequently. It is an older CD so I was pleased to even find it. Thank you

A couple years back the wife left this CD in an Enterprise rental car. She called the next day, they said it wasn't there (Liars).

I purchased this one couple days ago, She has praised the effort and thanked me many, many times. Who knew???

I saw bebe live in Bermuda it was an awesome performance
and this cd captures the essence of the show
truly amazing he steals the show here like he did in Bermuda

The rythym, the beat... This is a great CD. His choice of words and what to add to this CD were incredible. He is a great song-writer. I like the Medly he sang with Debbie, and "I Wanna Be". Those are great songs.

WOW, really, WOW, Bebe has really outdone himself this time with this, his third solo album, a live concert featuring old and new hits with amazing studio tracks. The live portion of the album, recorded Monday, November 19th, 2001 for a taping at the BET Studios in Washington, DC that originally aired in February of 2002 is amazing, pure, unadulterated BeBe at his best, soulfully singing and working the crowd. The live performance features "Love Thing", a song about the miraculous birth of his daughter, Miya Destiny Winans born in August of '95, this song was omitted from his debut solo album. A few songs omitted from the album though shown on the program and quite possibly the DVD are the hits "In Harm's Way", "Thank You", "Jesus, Children Of America" with Byron Cage, and "Coming Back Home" with Juan Winans. Eventhough, I miss these songs, he more than makes up for them with the new content.
The album starts of in the studio with "Do You Know Him" a hot new midtempo joint, produced by Warryn Campbell. Then, the live portion of the album starts off with the basically traditional version of the hymn "Amazing Grace", then a rousing performance of title track from his last album "Love & Freedom". Then "I Believe" a beautiful and exciting song, then the aforementioned, "Love Thing" and the new "I Fell In Love With God" with a little bit of my jam "This Song" at the end. Margaret Bell Byars joins BeBe at the mic with the international hit "I Wanna Be The Only One", taking the recording a bit higher. Then there's the absolutely amazing "Medley" which features the old Bebe & CeCe hits "Heaven", "Meantime", "Celebrate New Life", and "Lost Without You", a song which many naysayers back in '89 said was an R&B song, BeBe puts death to that rumor by saying that the love of Jesus is what the song is talking about, he also "gospelled" the song up at the end. Eventhough CeCe couldn't make it to the recording [she was on tour at the time] he called on one of the Winans "spare children", their baby sister, Debra Winans Lowe, to sing all of CeCe's parts. She did a wonderful job!
The concert continues with the praise song"Thank You For Being You", a really good, happy song and then the phenomenal "It All Comes Down To Love", a look at the church as well as the secular world that talks about everything from drag queens to televangelists. It offers the true message of it's title. Then to end the concert is the beautiful "Humpty Dumpty", a beautiful spiritual spin to the nursery rhyme as well as others, a profound song. The the smooth, "Lay Them Down", takes us back to studio with another joint produed by Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell. To end the whole album is the rousing and beautiful solo, "Born For This" performed entirely by Stephanie Mills. Like I said, this album is amazing, the best I've heard so far this year. A classic.