Customer Reviews

Loose in the World

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How many Henske fans sought out Magic Judy on the advice of Burke (the mercenary with a soft touch for kids, protagonist of the Andrew Vachss books)? My guess would be a great many -- but we stay for Judy's unequivocal vocal talent.

To go back to Burke for a moment, if I may: I'm incredibly grateful to the character, as how else would a thirty year old punk have discovered folk/blues from times of her childhood?

I listen to the CD often; I listened to it several times today in anticipation of sharing my opinion with amazon.com. I played it several times the day I got it. I showed my boyfriend the description "Queen of the Beatniks." ("Oh," he said, "you have a leader?") I've been listening to it almost since its release -- and I NEVER tire of it. Every song fills me. . I first heard "Til The Real Thing" on the Safe House blues CD collection (purchased from amazon.com) and I never get tired of singing it.

I tried to come up with an apt description of Judy Henske's voice. I thought, "husky," but that's not it. "Husky," suggests "rough."

Then I realized that the description is "husky" as a noun, not as an adjective. As in the dog. Rich, strong, breathtakingly beautiful, and giving a sense of strength and inner peace.

The fact that Judy Henske did not achieve superstar status in the 1960s has to be one of the great mysteries of show biz--or maybe not, maybe if she'd become better known, no one would have bothered to pay attention to ANYONE else. And the record industry would have died on the vine. That's the only possible explanation. She was sacrificed to the god of marketing.

But seriously, folks, I do have an inkling as to why Judy did not achieve the success her talent merited. She was too eclectic and too brash. Unlike the more demure folk madonnas of the early 60's (Joan Baez, Judy Collins), Judy Henske was known to stamp her foot, wail a gospel number at maximum volume and just generally tear the place apart. Such unlady-like behavior got you nowhere in '63. And if your tastes are as catholic as your background, and you're not easily pigeon-holed genre wise, well, that's a marketing problem too.

Judy Henske was just a few years ahead of her time. She could rage and burn like Janis (check out, if you can, her original version of "Betty and Dupree") and she was as ribald in her humor and as eclectic in her taste as Bette Midler would later turn out to be. It was a grave injustice that her solo albums on Elektra, Mercury and Reprise didn't sell better and even more of one that they have not been released on CD.

But at last we have, as the suits would put it, new product. Is it worth the near 30 years between releases? Yes, yes and yes. Every track is a gem. Her voice sounds just a little bit frayed, but full of character, on the opener "Mad Dog Killer." But no sooner have you accepted that, than track two, "Master of Love" sounds like the Judy of 1963. And no one can carry the torch like Judy does on "Blue Fortune" and "Dark Angel." Ironic observations on her career may be detected in "Dropped Like A Dime" and "Wish I Had My Old Guitar" -- but she hardly sounds bitter. Wiser, certainly, but not bitter. The re-recordings of Henske standards such as "Til the Real Thing Comes Along" and "Betty and Dupree" serve as reminders that she now sings with even greater authority--and with more heart--than ever. It's great to have her "loose in the world" once again.

I would like to claim 40 years of devotion to Judy Henske. Certainly if I had the last 40 years to do over again, I'd have spent at least 39 of them listening to this phenominal woman. But I'm a newcomer who never heard of her until I read a review so intriguing that I bought this CD sound unheard. You'll compare her to all the greats -- Janis Joplin, Etta James, The early [great] Bette Midler, Bessie Smith, Sophie Tucker, Garland on steroids -- but all the comparisons reveal is that there is no comparison. Thank God she's back. Setting this CD on Eternal Shuffle may, indeed, drive you insane, but for me it's now Week Two, and I'm doing fine.

For those of us who have been nuts about Judy Henske ever since the Folk Era, this new CD is almost unreal. How could anyone sing like that twice in a lifetime? How could any new material measure up to those legendary recordings that can still knock the breath out of a person as thoroughly on the 1000th listening as they did on the first? Yet here she is, the Queen of the Beatniks, miraculously back again, singing with the same power and conviction as always, and the added richness of what she's learned along the way. From the sardonic "Mad Dog Killer" to the haunting "Blue Fortune" to the kick-butt "Tin Star" to the marvelously wry "Wish I Had My Old Guitar" and "Dropped Like a Dime" ... well, what am I going to do, name 'em all? Let's just say that if you put this 10-track CD on shuffle play and let it play forever, you may eventually go mad but you won't ever be bored. Guaranteed.

They say confession is good for the soul, soooo I guess I'd better come clean right at the start. I have loved Judy Henske since the goose bumps popped up on my arms while hearing her for the first time back in the sixties. What can I say.....I would love anything Judy sings. I have all her albums from the sixties and have treasured them and guarded them carefully. I never wanted to not be able to hear that voice. Now to have a brand new bunch of songs, on CD no less, is what I would imagine dying and going to heaven must be like. Judy has a voice like no other - deep, powerful, wonderful - capable of giving you the shivers. Not only can she sing, she can write songs too! I highly recommend this CD and all of Judy's other albums - if you can get them, do so. You will not be disappointed.

I was torn between 4 and 5 stars. I finally settled on 5 hoping it would encourage reissue of her earlier recordings. Only they would have to be 5+. One of the primary voices in my head for the last 40 years has been Judy's. I had two of her albums then she disappeared. Of course to her she did not disappear. Clearly she has been living her life and enjoying the living of it. Now the material is mostly hers. You all really should hear her singing High Flying Bird though, to mention but one of her classic covers.

Absolutely amazing. She can still sing great. I first heard her on the Hootenany show on television around 1964. She was on with the Smothers Brothers and many others. She sang the gospel "Wade in the Water." I was immediately a fan. I hope she will record many more CD's

This is the blues as performed by Judy Henske and if you're not a fan, giver her ten minutes; you will be.

Henske's voice conveys emotion ranging from playfully flirtatious to mournful. She's seasoned and her experience comes through clearly. Listening to this CD is like getting a lesson on 30 years of living. Marvelous. Even my 13-year-old head-banging rap-loving daughter pauses to listen when Judy Henske starts to sing.

I have this CD and I never tire of listening to it. Judy is very earthy and so creative. She sings about the 'seedier' parts of life and she's so fun. The lyrics are terrific, very easy to understand and you'll probably find yourself singing along loudly. If you get a chance to see her 'live', you'll have the time of your life. Her music is wonderful but she could be a stand-up comic easily. She turns tragedy and heartache into fun. Dropped Like a Dime is a great example of that.

Judy, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, has not grown conservative with age. She belts 'em out better than ever. The first cut alone, "Mad Dog Killer," is worth the price of the album. She and husband Craig Doerge make some beautiful, original, idiosyncratic music together. Keep beltin' it to the balcony, Judy.