Customer Reviews

Nothing Without You

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

 

 

Torme and Laine, friends and admirers for years, combine here in a spectacular album which not only showcases their individual talents but combines them in exciting new ways. Torme's lighter, clearer voice is the perfect foil for Laine's darker, fuller one, and, since both have enormous range and an impeccable sense of harmony, their duets are flawless. With Laine's husband and long-time arranger John Dankworth doing most of the arrangements, and Torme collaborating on two tracks and arranging three others, there's a sense of intimacy and a real familiarity with the individual voices which make this CD a truly rare experience.

With perfect timing and rhythm, the two range from the Latin rhythm and drum beats of "I Thought About You" to the big band sound of "I Wish I Were in Love Again" and the jazzy, more free-wheeling "Love You Madly." Harmony is emphasized in two memorable ballads, both arranged by Torme--"Isn't It a Pity" and "Angel Eyes"--where he and Laine play the songs "straight," harmonizing slowly with restrained accompaniment. In "Birdsong" they really fly, singing scat together, so closely in tandem with the sax and clarinet that it is difficult to separate the voices from the instruments. "Girl Talk" and "After You've Gone," two of the best tracks on the album, continue the melding of voices with instruments, which perfectly parallel each other before separating into solos and ranging into scat.

The climax of the CD is "Two Tune Medley," arranged by Torme. Here he combines twenty songs in a spectacular medley in which he sings one song while Laine sings another--"Honeysuckle Rose" and "Sweet Sue," for example. The segues from one song to the next are flawless, as is the band's accompaniment. The track, which lasts less than five minutes, is so smooth that it is over before the listener realizes how many different songs have been blended. As good as Torme and Laine are separately, this album may be one of their real high points. With perfect timing, phrasing, harmony, and rhythm, all of which are also matched by the band, this is a marriage of two talents who could be alteregos. Mary Whipple

One of the Best duet albums Nothing Without You just Shines... Torme and Laine glide through the tunes and Scat-A-Wa...Be Bop for an enjoyable listening experience. ISN'T IT A PITY is a rare Gershwin gem, seldom heard sung. BIRDSONG really sings !!!!!!!!!!!Add this to your Jazz Collection.

This is one swinging set of music!! Mel Torme and Cleo Laine deliver a wonderful set of jazz, swing & Scat...it's a shame more jazz singers don't\do duet recordings together, because the results can be magical, i'm so glad these legends got together!

and John Dankworth musical direction is fantastic! this is a great cd to own!

I already own this-have since the day Concord first released it! These two artists are the very epitome of all that IS Jazz singing-having them paired is a gift from the Gods! I re-bought it as a gift for friends this Christmas.
Check out the medley-Mel's arrangements sung by both of them is heaven. And John Dankworth is possibly the only other arranger besides Mel that can create the most innovative, interesting and fun settings for Cleo and Mel. The trio's bassist, John Leitham, and pianist, John Colianni, are nothing short of magnificent. They travelled with Mel for years and their trio, with drummer Donny Osbourne, reaches heights of pure magic few can hope to achieve.
An instant classic the day it was made. Pure joy.
The only song I could have lived without is "Birdsong"....clever, true, but not a favorite of mine.

You can't miss with these two great voices together. I do wish the song choices had been better.

Nothing Without You
Not a good quality recording - not one of Cleo's best either

A good duet albumn. The Two Tune melody makes the CD a good buy all buy it self.

Laine and Torme seem at ease with each others style and vocal range. Two melodies is a classic of teamwork. This album is a must for easy listening and romantic evenings.

Mel Torme was a fantastic singer and the only reason that this CD doesn't get five stars is because the days when Mel Torme was young were undoubtedly his best, and it is my opinion that he should have been born sooner, and thus had a career in, say, the thirties and forties. The recordings that are the best are Torme's recordings in the forties, like "Blue Moon", my favourite as a matter of fact. Still there are some good songs on this, especially "Girl Talk". It's not immensely worth buying, but there's some good stuff.