Customer Reviews

With Love

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

 

 

There are two songs in particular that will knock your socks off.The first one, I Dreamed a Dream and the fifth one,The Story of My Life, are so beautiful they will make you weep. Either of them is worth the price of the CD.

No one can sing a tender, sweet love song better than Michael Crawford. This CD has a nice showcase of his talent, highlighting both his soft voice and his "big" voice. The high points of the album are "The Story of My Life," "On my On," and "If." This is truely an album flooded with wonderful, romantic tunes.

I wish I could have given this album ten stars, it's so beautiful! Michael Crawford has such a beautiful way of expressing emotions. He is definetly my favorite singer of all time. All of his songs are song with such tenderness and love. I can't recommend this album enough! The title really suits it, it was surely done with love.

For me this is still Michael's best album. With the exception of "Come Rain or Shine" which doesn't really work for me, every song is beautifully judged and performed. I love the simplicity of some of the arrangements, particularly "If", "Why did I Choose You" and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?". There is nothing to intrude on Michael's voice and story-telling. This is an album that I've come back to time and time again in the past 10 years. Definately my favourite!

All the albums released circa "Phantom" show off the voice that Crawford spent years working diligently to achieve; the silky, sensuous range that sent exquisite chills up and down one's spine, that so capably insinuated every emotional nuance, and the perfection of phrasing that uplifted the heart or brought tears to the eyes. I fear Mr. Crawford is loafing in his recent works; if you want the best, you'll definately want this album in your collection! I'd also recommend "Songs From Stage and Screen", and "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber".

I have been a fan of Michael Crawford's for many years. He truly puts his whole heart and soul into a song. He has such a divine and heavenly voice. I'd give this album 100 stars if I could. Michael sings each song with tenderness. I very highly recommend this album and all other album's by him. He truly has the voice of an angel. Buy this album and you definitly will not be dissapointed.

More moving magic from our man Mike!!!!!

His CD's keep getting more enchanting!!!

"With Love" CD by Michael Crawford that I purchased from Amazon arrived on time and in an excellent condion;therefore, I am very happy.

This is a fantastic music CD. If you like Michael Crawford this is a must have. It has beautiful songs sung by one of the greatest romantic singer

I bought this series of Crawford recordings in the early 90s under the alternate title, "The Phantom Unmasked."
One does feel that Crawford's heart and soul are in every note of each song.
"I Dreamed A Dream" --Fantine's musical lament in "Les Miserables" -- is given more masculine treatment, but the emotions expressed are ultimately just as raw.
If I am uncomfortable about Crawford's rendering of "With You, I'm Born Again", however, it's because that is my general feeling about the song itself, and I remember the release of the original, which, if I had to make a judgement, I would say was a bit more intense.
"Every Time We Say Goodbye", is sung with a sad smile. In it, Crawford combines wistfulness and nostalgia. I always enjoy the dip in his voice when he sings the line, "...from major to minor". He has quite a vibrato there. I have fond memories of listening to this version of the Cole Porter classic while traveling along country roads.
Crawford's take on Neil Diamond's, "The Story of My Life", is driven, intense, and pleading, as his delivery of Sondheim's "Being Alive". On the latter, all his emotion explodes into a cresecendo at the end.
Next comes Crawford's signature tune, "The Music of the Night", in which, of course, he is squarely in his element. He lends sensuousness to the song's alternate lyrics, taking listeners on a gentle ride and placing them down gently at its end. I've never had trouble figuring out this song's popularity among figure skaters.
We move on to Crawford's soft lullaby, "When I Fall in Love". Whereas earlier versions by Doris Day and Nat King Cole were respectively sunny and effortlessly bold, and reverent but charismatic, Crawford mixes an amount of youthful-sounding uncertainty with a lightweight ending.
"If", initially performed by the group, Bread in the early 70s, is now given a more stately, strident, and loving treatment.
"On My Own", also from " Les Miserables" and introduced by Frances Ruffelle-- with whom Michael later performed a duet-- is given a more hopeful sounding slant as he sings it in a different key.
"Come Rain or Come Shine" is brash-sounding, Crawford sounds like an insistant youth telling the lady of his already-won affections how things will be, painting a story with his singing and doing so quite vividly.
At the end of this journey, we feel that we know the man behind the Phantom's mask quite well. He has led us to admire his artistry even as he aroused empathy for his most notable character.