Customer Reviews

Only One Life

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was not really that impressed with this effort. Michael's
voice is technically on-point however, the way he interprets
Jimmy's lyrics just leave something to be desired. Gems include
"Belmont Avenue", "Piano" and "All Of The Loves Of My Life/ Only
One Life." People more interested in Jimmy Webb's full-length collaborations should also seek out The Fifth Dimensions "Magic Garden", Thelma Houston's beautiful (and underrated) "Sunshower"
as well as Richard Harris' "A Tramp Shining" and Jimmy's own
cd "Suspending Disbelief."

As someone who's admired Jimmy Webb's music for years, I kept waiting for his good friend Michael Feinstein to do a CD of his work, and it's finally here! The new music's excellent! "Time Flies" and "She moves, eyes follow" are alone worth the cost of the CD, but there's so much more! Webb's songbook is so large one can easily see Feinstein doing another CD in the future, which I hope he'll consider as there are always songs of Webb's you want included in any CD of his music that aren't. In an era where music isn't what it should be, this is a breath of fresh air!

This collaboration between Michael Feinstein & Jimmy Webb succeeds on numerous levels. Nora Jones' blockbuster CD "Come Away With Me" showed that one could concentrate on melody at a slower pace and be successful. Here, a wonderfully romantic set has been crafted. "I will win the worship in their eyes & I will lose it," Michael sings on the opener medley from "After All the Loves of My Life." 6 of the tracks here are Jimmy Webb tunes recorded for the first time including the title track that is also included in bonus form. Michael does a version of "Didn't We" that could be a closer for last call @ the pub. One of my favorites is the doo wop flare of "Belmont Avenue" from a musical Jimmy wrote called "A Bronx Tale." "Up, Up & Away" is given a Brazilian flavor and works fabulously. "She Moves, Eyes Follow" is one of Jimmy's classic melodies, "She laughs & laughter follows like ripples follow a storm." Michael takes Art Garfunkel's hit "All I Know" and gives it a very soft vulnerable sensibility. "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" and "Adios" are two of Jimmy's great songs that Linda Ronstadt has stamped while Michael's intense takes show a different facet for each tune. "Skywriter," "Is There Love After You?," "Time Flies," and "These Are All Mine" are less familiar Webb tunes that show his hallmark classic sense of melody, emotion and drama. Long a favorite from Webb's "Letters" LP, "Piano" shines with Michael's gorgeous vocals. The CD has a computer accessible video of Webb & Feinstein discussing the songs and the project that is excellent. This set is successful because it fearlessly touches the emotions in a great amalgam of performance & material. Bravo!

Being recently widowed, this whole CD speaks directly to my heart. I haven't stopped listening since I bought it. For anyone who has lost the love of their life, this CD is the one. I bought it initially after hearing Only One Life on TV...But Is There Love After You, These Are All Mine, Didn't We, Adios, All I know, Skywriter all seem as though they are being sung just for me.

I realize most people won't relate on the level I did, but I certainly thought it was worth mentioning. It has had an absolutely profound effect on me. Amazing music, straight to the heart, beautifully sung and written.

This is another of Michael Feinstein's "songbook" album but this time, its dedicated to the songwriting genius of Jimmy Webb (remember "MacArthur Park" as sung memorably by Richard Harris and disco-fied by Donna Summer?). The arrangements of the songs were a bit one-note, but as was explained in the liner notes, it was intended that way inorder not to conform to a formula that it should have uptempo numbers interpersed with the slower ballads. I have almost all of Feinstein albums and I must say that this is quite a departure for this New York cabaret singer and pianist because of the "contemporary" material. Feinstein is a great interpreter of the American Popular Song material where he devoted albums and mined the genius of Jule Styne, the Gershwins, Jerry Herman, Hugh Martin and Irving Berlin. The delight is hearing unknown gems from the unproduced musicals of Webb along with his famous ones like "Up Up and Away", "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "Didn't We". While its heresy to call this a makeout album this side of Liza Minnelli's "Gently", this CD is really a great companion for rainy days where one stays indoors curled in a couch with hot chocolate and muffins and where basking in the warmth of Feinstein's glorious vocals will transport you to the high heavens.

I have everything Jimmy Webb has ever recorded or produced, including his fine collaborations with Glen Campbell, Richard Harris, The Supremes, Thelma Houston, Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel and Amy Grant etc. This is by far his worst outing. Michael Feinstein's interpretations of the songs are contrived beyond belief. I listened and listened but this album did not grow on me. In fact I have stopped playing it altogether. Practically every other artist you can think of does a better rendition of these classic songs. I would recommend "Tunesmith" or "Someone Left a Cake Out In the Rain" as money better spent.

Michael Feinstein has a nice voice - not great - but Jimmy Webb, in his notes, accurately states that Feinstein knows when to emphasize certain phrases for the most musical impact. "She Moves, Eyes Follow" is the perfect example. "Belmont Avenue" is one I keep listening to again and again. Webb is one of the great songwriters. His "Reunion" CD with Glen Campbell, however, is still his best, and Glen's too. I'm giving it 4 stars, not 5, because it lacks a couple of other songs that might have lifted this above "beautiful and tasteful." Webb has some gutsy songs, such as "Light Years" and "Lightning in a Bottle" - from another terrific CD with Glen Campbell - and this CD needed something more. One thing also needs to be corrected: Glen Campbell recorded "Only One Life" over 10 years ago on one of his religious CD's - and it was a terrific version of the song! I think what I'm really waiting for is another collaboration between Webb and Campbell, but this CD with Feinstein will do for now, and hopefully there will be a Volume Two. These are just terrific, tender, beautifully crafted songs.

Michael Has Released His Best Cd To Date!!! I Have Been A Fan For Years And Love All His Work, But With This Cd He Has Made A Dream Come True!! A Cd Of Gorgeous Contemporary Gems Written By The Fabulous Jimmy Webb!!! There Is Not One Song On This Cd That Will Not Bring Back A Memory Of Someone You Have Loved!! Stunning Versions Of "Didn't We", "All I Know", "Time Flies", "Adios" & "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress". Thank You Michael & Jimmy For Creating A Cd That I Will Listen To For The Rest Of My Life!! The Title Track Is Beyond Words!!!

This is the first time I have purchased a Michael Feinstein CD.I have since become a fan! This CD is exquisite. His interpretations of Jimmy Webb's music is superb. Jimmy Webb wrote some incredible songs thorugh the years. A good selection can be found here. His songs have been done by many great singers, most notably Linda Ronstadt. Michael is right up there with the best of them. This really is a beautiful CD. Every song is so melodic, clear and thought-provoking. It will stay in your memory long after you've listened to it. This disc deserves a Grammy nomination.

When I first heard about this project, it didn't seem to make sense - the principals seemed decades removed; Feinstein firmly rooted in the Great American Songbook, and Webb so much a part of the 60's and 70's. When I finally heard the CD, I was hooked from the first track - the closing part of "MacArthur Park," sung as a statement of determination and purpose that sets up the album's song arc of romantic love. Surprises abound here - especially the samba setting for "Up Up And Away." Suffice it to say that the familiar songs are reinvented anew, and the new songs are as memorable as any of Webb's past hits. "Belmont Avenue," from an upcoming musical based on "Bronx Tale," is a particular stunner.

Webb's songs often have a cinematic sweep to them and Feinstein rises to the occassion, fully conveying the emotional range of Webb's lyrics. Webb plays piano throughout the album, and the orchestral arrangements by Alan Broadbent and Matt Catingub are perfectly suited to these wonderful songs.

I had the pleasure of seeing these two perform most of this CD and more at the Cinegrill this month. If they come anywhere near you, make a dash for tickets...it's an unforgettable evening of great stories and songs. Until that day, buy this CD immediately and enjoy the best work that either performer has done to date.