Customer Reviews

Oscar & Steve

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I love this CD. It is tender (Poems), funny (Honey Bun - OK, that belongs to Oscar), passionate (Loving You and I Wish I Could Forget You) and witty (Pleasant Little Kingdom). There is no one who does Sondheim better and Mandy's interpretation of Oscar Hammerstein's work has given me a better understanding of his popularity. There isn't a cut on this CD I skip or wish had been done differently. I agree with the person from England who questions why the New York fan feels it necessary to pollute all the lists of reviews. We get it. You don't like Mandy. You are entitled to your opinion (of course, you are wrong!) but you ARE spending a lot of time listening to him just to attack him. Maybe you have only listened to him once or twice and don't bother to actually listen to the specific CD's. I would tell people to ignore sarcastic unfunny one-liners and pay attention to people with legitimately expressed criticism as well as those of us who think Mandy Patinkin is an amazing talent. As a jazz lover, it has been a delight to experience the pleasure of Broadway. Thanks, Mandy, for making it such a joyous education.

Mandy Patinkin is an original; he doesn't 'sell' a song; he 'feels' it. If the raw emotion of Mandy's interpretation of "You've got to be carefully taught"(Oscar)/ "Children Will Listen"(Steve) doesn't 'embarass' you, this album is for you. If you like your music smooth, safe and passionless, stop reading right now. This ain't 'easy listening'. No singer alive captures the passion of the human condition better than Mandy. His range is incredible; his Broadway training unmistakable; he is a national treasure--always innovative & heartfelt. Listen to him sing "I Wish I Could Forget You": "For now I'm seeing love like none I've ever known...a love that like a knife has cut into a life I wanted left alone." You'll feel the knife, too.

If you have never seen Mandy perform live, you have no idea what you're missing. This CD will give you an inkling of his talent. His "If I loved you" is an incredible rendition. "Beat out dat rhythm on a drum", "Bali ha'i" and "Honey bun" are just so much fun to listen to. "You've got to be carefully taught" is powerful. He was born to sing this music.

This disc will probably make you a fan of Mr. Patinkin. These are all Broadway tunes from Stephen Sondheim and Oscar Hammerstein II, hence the title. The first four songs are classic ballads sung flawlessly, then we go into some mid-tempo numbers, some of which are a little flat (most notably, "Poems"). Finally, we get into some great Sondheim stuff like "There Won't Be Trumpets", and "Not A Day Goes By". He also has a couple of medleys, the best being "When I Grow Too Old To Dream/Remember". If you'd heard him sing and like his voice, this is a fantastic sampler, with only a couple of clunkers.

Oscar & Steve had to have written these songs knowing that Mandy Patinkin would be out there to sing them with the signature "Mandy Passion". Mandy Patikin puts his heart, soul & entire being into this album.

Some reviewers were truly dissapointed with Mandy Patinkin's voice. Obviously. When you buy a CD, know if you like the performer's style. Some people dont exactly love this man, and some do. This review is for those who do, or who at least know they are interested.

Mandy Patinkin is one of the most talented performers of our age. There is no doubt about that. Is this is best album? Probably not. Is this Mandy Patinkin's beautiful voice in its purest form? Most certainly not. But when I got the amazing opportunity of meeting Mr. Patinkin, I could only have him sign two of my CDs, as to not look like a fool. The one I picked up immediately was the original cast recording of Evita, with Mandy as Che, and what I would recommend to anyone reading this. That has an incredible mix of Mandy's soaring highnotes (High Flying Adored), and his booming angry lows (Oh What a Circus) and so many amazing songs of his and Patti Lu Pone's. But this writeup is about Oscar and Steve. That was the second CD i grabbed, because it goes beyond the amazing.

While too great a portion of the soundtrack is taken up by Mr. Patinkin's lilting soaring tenor, there are some true gems, generally the ones that take advantage of his beautiful lower range. Pleasant Little Kingdoms is frantic and Poems is perfectly pretty, both really good duets with nameless entities (maybe I'm just too lazy to look). BUT! The best songs of the album are the loud and angry ones like Bali' Hai, and the ending with the two best songs, Not a Day Goes and the Children Will Listen Mix. This is where Mandy Patinkin really takes off, and where we see the true feeling of his art.

For anyone who likes deep songs, and for those who likes those songs to be materfully sung, I highly suggest Oscar and Steve (and get Evita while you are at it).

Perusing the reviews of Patinkin's albums I just wonder what kind of problem "A music fan from NY" has? If he hates Patinkin so much then why has he bought his albums - 3 of them at least so far as I can see. OK we all have our likes and dislikes but I just cannot imagine why someone would want to be quite so aggressive and nasty and then feel inclined to publish his or her) thoughts. If you don't like his stuff just get rid of it!

Anyway, turning to the cd in question - it's my favourite of all of Mandy's output and singing Steve and Oscar's songs how could it fail. Clearly he is not a smooth controlled cabaret singer - he is after all primarily an actor who sings, but the dramatic content of these songs needs an actor to convey their meanings when they are removed from the context of the show from which they are taken. If you want pure crooning then stick to thel ikes of Mel Torme and Jack Jones.

I saw Mandy at the Almeida Theatre in London a couple of years ago in his debut performance - he was just wonderful and absolutley ignited the audience at what was one of the hottest tickets in town at that time. He is long overdue for a return visit.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful - what else can I say. I love that wonderful voice and the sound of these to great composers. "A pleseant little kingdom" is the best interpretation ever and the incredible sound of "Bali Hai" is on the top of the world. Thank you all for this simply fantastic album and for the everlasting music. Mandy, once more please.

There are not too many recording artists that I find so versatile. I literally ran home the other night to watch an episode of Chicago Hope just because Mandy Patinkin was guest starring in the episode and to be able to both hear him sing and watch him actor is a wonderful combination. I am very sorry that I had to miss his performance the last time he was in the Philadelphia area.

I agree that Mandy Patinkin is a brilliant, marvelous performer. His work on such albums as "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Follies" is truly treasurable and inspired. However, when left to his own devices, such as on this album, Patinkin becomes shamelessly self-indulgent, alternately crooning and bellowing to make his dramatic point. Plus, his voice is woefully undersupported, and often any sense of line is lost. At times (listen to "I Wish I Could Forget You") the disparity in his registers is alarming. His dramatic instincts in these songs are impeccable -- his musical instincts less so (although he and Judy Blazer do a terrific turn on "Pleasant Little Kingdom"). Patinkin is capable of so much more than this -- let's hope that this just happened to be a fluke. Please, Mandy, let it be a fluke!