Customer Reviews

In My Style / Fresh Flavor

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

 

 

I've heard all these songs by other people, often by the original artists, but Jane sings them differently - sometimes only a little, sometimes more so. In each and every case, Jane changes the song enough to make it her own, while retaining the essence of the original.

Jane covers one of her own, Fascination, which was a big American hit for her in the fifties.

If there is a slight weakness, it may be her cover of Percy Sledge's When a man loves a woman, with the genders reversed. The swapping of man (one syllable) with woman (two syllables) doesn't quite fit the melody, but that's a minor point.

On Petula's Downtown, Jane seems to be attempting a British accent - it's not very accurate, but it's much better than any Brit attempting an American accent.

Among the other great covers are songs made famous by Barbra Streisand, Brenda Lee, Jo Stafford, Teresa Brewer, Gale Garnett, the Young Rascals, the Righteous brothers, Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Mamas and Papas, Dionne Warwick and Bob Lind - quite a range.

These are no mere imitations of the originals, but they are interesting. It is a pity that so little of Jane's lovely music is available. Buy this to encourage further releases.

Epic hadn't much of a clue about what to do with Jane Morgan after signing her. She certainly wasn't a rock singer, had a supperclub style and Contiental mentality, was too dramatic and glamorous for the teen crowd, too sophisticated for adult buyers. The ultimate solution were these albums of covers, in turns ridiculous in choice, amusing in execution and delightful in experience. They proved Morgan could sing Anything with a capital A and make it her own. Both albums sold big, to Epic's surprise and delight, and Morgan is the reason why. She was never above doing a song, but when she did a song she did it her way. These albums still are great listening.

In My Style/Fresh Flavor is an outstanding twofer CD that has all the songs from two of Jane's record albums entitled In My Style and Fresh Flavor. The quality of the sound is superb; and I like that artwork. I always appreciate it when the original record album artwork is incorporated into the CD artwork.

"Side By Side" starts the track set with a busting number by the great Jane Morgan. Jane belts this out like the pro she was and the music that goes with her singing complements her style completely! Jane's voice is as clear as a bell--and I love it! "I'm Sorry" is another highlight of this album; Jane performs this number which I believe was originally done by Brenda Lee. The backup chorus harmonizes well but still this number belongs to Jane Morgan--she sings it well. Listen also for a wonderful interpretation of the classic "My Heart Belongs To Daddy;" this was one of the best songs Marilyn Monroe ever performed and I think Jane Morgan's rendition is equally strong. Jane's excellent diction enhances her performance, too.

"You Belong To Me" gives us Jane singing another wonderful cover of this very famous love song; and she aces this as easily as breathing! Jane's an excellent chanteuse. "Fascination" was one of Jane's earliest hits; and just one listen tells you why! "People" is also a major highlight of this album; Jane Morgan sings this with great sensitivity and this impresses me a lot.

"We'll Sing In The Sunshine" gives us Jane doing an upbeat tune that belies somewhat the lyrics about the ambivalence about a love affair. "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" is easily another masterpiece for Jane Morgan; she has some mighty fine music to go along with her singing and she never misses a beat! "Strangers In The Night" features Jane front and center--and I certainly don't mind that one bit!

"When A Man Loves A Woman," which was first sung by Percy Sledge, gets the royal treatment from Jane who delivers this with panache and all her might. This ballad gets a slower tempo than I'm used to but it works very well and it all sounds very pretty. "Monday, Monday" is an interesting cover of this tune by The Mamas and The Papas; I'm not sure that she surpasses their rendition but it isn't a bad number either.

The album ends strong with Jane Morgan performing a wonderful, peppy rendition of "Elusive Butterfly." This tune has a wonderful musical arrangement and Jane was born to sing songs like this!

Overall, Jane Morgan fans will want this CD without any doubt. People who like classic pop vocals will also enjoy this album.

In the the mid 1960s, after selling millions of records and recording the legendary signature tune "Fascination", Jane Morgan became the toast of the night club circuits. As with many artists at the time of the Beatles invasion, lovely Jane Morgan looked to the sounds of the day for recording material. This explains these tow Epic Records albums ...IN MY STYLE and FRESH FLAVOR. The first boasts some lovely arrangements, as well as a new version of her signature "Fascination" as well as tunes from Broadway and the movies. The second album FRESH FLAVOR contains a mixed bag of arrangements, from the splendid to the mundane. Through it all, Morgan's vocals are always fresh and always flawless (sans her rendition of "Downtown". Fans of the Great American Songbook might lear at this material. However, pop music lovers will thoroughly enjoy Morgan's sentiments here. The best of 60s kitsch in one delightful package! Bravo to Collectables for having the forsight to re-issue these rare recordings!

Jane Morgan was probably born a bit too late. With a style more reminiscent of the late '40s and early '50s, she first came into prominence around the middle of the '50s, and after her big hit, "Fascination," she faded from public attention as rock'n'roll took over the charts. But she kept singing her way, and as a lover of late-'40s-early-'50s music, I've got to say I liked listening to these songs, most of which came from the '60s.

The first album which got included in this CD was approximately a 50-50 mix of '50s and '60s tunes, including a remake of "Fascination" (which she'd originally done for a different label, so it wasn't available when Epic made the album). She sounds much the same on this version as she did on the original, but the instrumental backing is rather different. The others vary in her approach: she's obviously trying to imitate Petula Clark's British accent on her version of Clark's "Downtown" -- and ends up sounding more British than Petula! On the other hand, for "Old Cape Cod" she makes no attempt to imitate Patti Page. But they picked a bunch of '50s songs and the kind of '60s songs that would go well with a '50s style, and as a result everything seems to fit.

The second album was a collection of tunes that were current in the mid-'60s when it came out, and this one doesn't work as well. A song like "These Boots Are Made for Walking" doesn't want a sweet-voiced '50s type singer doing it. But Jane tries her best, and the songs come out sounding better than one might fear. Still, I liked the first set better.

The whole CD is worth listening to, but it does sound a bit anachronistic, with '60s songs in a '50s style.

Jane Morgan recorded these two albums on this "twofer" CD reissue back in the mid sixties while under contract to Epic Records.

The label, like so many others then, encouraged their pop vocalists to record Top 40 hits as a way to stay contemporary.

The results were often mixed, as in the case here.

"In My Style" has the better selection of songs suited to Miss Morgan's delivery, probably because most of them were from the 50s, when Top 40 wasn't all rock n roll. Her cover versions of "Old Cape Cod," "You Belong To Me," and "Till I Waltz With You Again" are exemplary. Even the re-recording of her own "Fascination" is nearly as good as the original Kap version.

"Flesh Flavor" on the other hand, is altogether another matter. Of all the songs on that album, I only like one. Her pop version of "Good Lovin" is wonderful. Catchy, energetic, rhythmic. It couldn't be improved upon. But, "Monday, Monday"? "The Sounds of Silence"? Daydream"? For me, they all fall flat. On "Soul and Inspiration" she sounds forced and uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, there are enough good performances to warrant its purchase. And some Jane Morgan fans may like her interpretations of the folk-rock material, anyway.

Jane Morgan's style is instantly recognizable...as the liner notes on IN MY STYLE...states. COLLECTIBLES did a smart thing by rereleasing the two lp's on one cd. The sound is great and the packaging is super. Jane was always a singer you had to watch as well as listen to. I even like the Streisand song Jane does, "People," that I didn't care for till I heard Jane's way with the song. The way Jane does, "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" brings the song up-to-date even more so than Marilyn Monroe did in 1961. You will love the upbeat handling of "We'll Sing In The Sunshine." "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" is a delight even after hearing the original...it really is FRESH FLAVOR. The only songs I think might be classified as a side b title would be "Strangers In The Night", "(You're My) Soul And Inspiration," and "When A Woman Loves A Man" which was misprinted as "When A Man Loves A Woman." We need more singers like JANE MORGAN.

There is nothing subtle about Jane Morgan's vibrato-filled vocals, especially in this collection of 22 pop hits. Morgan, a Julliard-schooled soprano, starts off with an over-the-top, organ thumping version of Side by Side, an overdramatic My Heart Belongs to Daddy and an uncharacteristically upbeat These Boots are Made for Walkin. The premise of these two albums, which were originally released in 1965 and '66, is to present the hits of others in "my style" and with "fresh flavor." She does do this indeed and at times it has you yearning to hear the original just one more time.

These 2 albums were a mistake for Jane. Her majestic voice should have been doing Arlen, Kern or Rodgers. Too bad she didn't have Norman Granz guiding her caerer like Ella's. The 1st album is a bit better because it's closer to the kind of songs that suit her very talented voice. Ms. Morgan was very popular on the Kapp label by doing "artistic" albums & not top 10 hits which are what most of these songs are. I keep hoping those lps will be converted to domestic cds SOON! Then, I can write ***** reviews which is what she deserves. But, here, Jane & the band appear to be fighting each other. Instead, they should have been harmonious.