No More Blues

Johanna Grüssner | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0002V8J9G
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,989 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Out of This World

2. The Touch of Your Lips

3. My Ship

4. No More Blues

5. The Very Thought of You

6. I'm Old Fashioned

7. Help

8. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

9. Hallelujah I Just Love Him

10. Desafinado

Editorial Reviews

Finnish phenom Johanna Grüssner possesses a voice of such quality that her performances virtually define the standard for jazz vocals today. She used this extraordinary talent to influence a remarkable group of students to emerge from the shadows of a public school in the Bronx, revealing a passion for music that astounded school officials and impressed audiences. Johanna Grüssner’s story has been featured on NPR, and in the book Seven Days of Possibilities by author Anemona Hartocollis. No More Blues is produced by 32-time GRAMMY nominee, John Snyder. In his 30-year career, Snyder has worked with a virtual who's who of modern jazz — Jim Hall, Paul Desmond, Ornette Coleman, Dave Brubeck, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and Charlie Haden.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this album!, January 28, 2005

By 

Mattias Jansson (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No More Blues (Audio CD)

This is a great album with widespread roots: several jazz standards, a little Ray Charles, some bossa nova and a Beatles tune. All held together by Johanna's beautiful voice.

The immediate standouts on the disc are Out of This World, which is absolutely fantastic, and the title track No More Blues.

The down-tempo version of Help is naturally instantly recognizable and I actually prefer it to the original.

Another of my favorites is the English-language version of Desafinado. If you're not familiar with the song, also check out the excellent Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and Joćo Gilberto.

I have had this album for about two months now and it's still in my CD-changer in the car where few discs stay for more than a week straight. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and am looking forward to Johanna's next release.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply very cool, May 28, 2006

By 

R. Messa "Music Soul" (Westbury, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No More Blues (Audio CD)

I don't like to compare arrangements of songs from era to era. If a song works with a certain arrangement, I consider that in itself a great achievement.

These songs all arranged by the singer are each innovative, sensual, relaxing and extraordinarily well performed.

This isn't the usual brand of "jazz" singers in recent years that have wonderful voices but do tired arrangements of Gershwin and other great songs. This CD brings new life to these songs just when you thought the last Monheit, Krall Bentyne etc CD buried the song for another generation.

This CD is one of the coolest of its genre in quite a while. Just wait til you hear the fretless bass solo in "Help". Very cool indeed...

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Johanna 5 Stars Sound engineer 0, November 30, 2006

By 

J. Allen "movie lover" (Orange County California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No More Blues (Audio CD)

I LOVE JOHANNA GRUSSNER! Her voice is great, her arrangements are tops, her style is superb; but on this album her sound mix is awful. The sound men made the mistake of thinking her sidemen (who are only so-so) are as important as she. They are not.

Johnanna's name is the only name on the album, and it is deservedly above the title. But this album is mixed so badly that the instruments are most of the time as loud/louder than the singer. Unfortunately, I have heard this mistake made so many times, and it sickens me every time I encounter it. Another thing, she doesn't sing enough on the cuts vis a vis her sidemen. I hope that this wasn't her fault.

It seems Ms. Grussner has been mistreated by her engineers, and by her sidemen. I hope she did not have final say on the mix. I would love to hear this album properly mixed and re-released that way. She deserves to be completely front and center on this, and on all her albums.