Customer Reviews

In & Out of Love

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Patti Austin is an unbelievable talent! Her tremendous vocals are in the class of Ella, Aretha and Barbara. Patti has mastered it all. . . from jazz to pop to soul to r&b to country. She cannot be catagorized into one genre of music. Her CD "In and Out of Love" is a sophisticated album about love situations. The title cut "In and out of love" is a smooth statement song. Her voice is beautiful on this cut and the production is excellent. Patti co-wrote the second tune "Don't go Away" with Narada Michael Walden which deals with the insecurity and regret of a lover who lied to her friend and wants him back. Her vocals on the tune is angelic and sweet. The psychology of love itself informs the whole album. From the dance/club worthy "Why you wanna be like that" to the sweet ballad "I'll never get over you" to the great duet "I offer you love" to the country/r&b "Do-Si-Doe-In" to the gospel flavored "I will be there" shows Patti has a lot to say.

Patti's huge talent is really underappreciated or misunderstood by the record business because of her diversity but her fans stay extremely loyal. Patti's vocals, songwriting skills and vocal arrangements are of the highest degree! "In and out of love" is just another step in this gifted vocalist's career. I would love to see Patti continue to write and sing from the heart because with her outstanding talents the sky's the limit!

patti austin has proven to be very patient with both the music industry and everchanging tastes of the public. True talent and guts usually prevails above all this.This album showcases the essence of austin's ability.I'm waiting for a album that features more of austin's songwriting ability.she has plenty to say. Austin has witnessed great vocalists come and go and she has still survived on her own terms with that infectious sense of humor.I love that aspect about her. I have had the pleasure of listening to patti explore country,classical,rap,dance,broadway tunes and of course jazz,pop and r&b tunes.plus she has best production skills:both background vocals and producing.I really hate to compare artists but I always thought patti possesses a wonderful blend of morgana king-nancy wilson-barbra streisand-aretha franklin-ella fitzgerald stylings. true fans of an artist's music can tell if a artist really worked on a album or not.Patti has always worked hard continuously,sometimes the public was distracted by videos or hype to truly appreciate true artistry.I'm always amazed but not surprised by austin's new releases.but like ella fitzgeralds'many recordings,patti austin still has so much to explore.

This album contains most of what was released as "Jukebox Dreams" in Japan two years ago. Several songs were dropped, several added. Patti Austin is, without a doubt, one of the most talented and underappreciated vocalists of our time. She sings everything well. I have bought the CD knowing it would be mostly rehashed material, but I would buy anything she sings. Her current Japan-only release, "Street of Dreams," has better and more consistent material than "In & Out Of Love." I would also highly recommend "Only You," a song she sings in English and Spanish on Arturo Sandoval's Grammy-winning release, "Hothouse." Her voice is breathtaking. I always look for her new releases, wherever they can be found.

The last CD I purchased by Ms Austin was ....well it was vinyl....called The Real Me. That became my favorite LP. B4 that, I had only bought a 12 single of "Gonna Be Special" (LOVE IT!!) This cd is jam packed with some great tunes but my favs are:

1.In & Out of Love: Smooth and soulful!!! "...doin' it sooo good"

2.Why you Wanna..: nice club/house song that has an essence of Diana Ross (vocally) Patti is singing in an upper register. It sounds so good!

3.Summerbreeze: There is an electric guitar on this song that drives me wild!!!!!!

Great cd by an underrated singer!!!!

Finally, after many years, a Patti Austin album that comes close to her popular r&b, dance music status that most of her fans enjoyed with Gettin' Away With Murder back in '85! In & Out of Love is a more up-to-date version of Gettin' Away With Murder for the late 90's. For anyone interested in Patti Austin's albums I highly recommend these four : Every Home Should Have One, Patti Austin-self-titled, Gettin' Away With Murder, and the most recent In and Out of Love. Skip the GRP period under which she was contracted in the early 90's- they were nothing more than late night light-listening watered-down jazz albums; However, her voice was superb as ever ! In and Out of Love gets 4 stars (there may be way too many slow ballads for some people--however, there's also a good supply of smooth grooves) !!!

Much has been written about vocalists and worth of material recorded throughout a career . . . It is this writer's opinion that everything is subjective and all is open to criticism - yet a gift is a gift, a voice is a voice, a talent is a talent . . . .to be used as the artist wishes to use it. Having said that, Patti Austin has always been a special artist with wide-ranging talents and taste in music. Because of her diversity often she has been ignored or misunderstood, as the record business is keen on categorizing music and performer. Austin sings everything equally well, from "jazz" to "country" to "soul" to "pop". She is the the true meaning of vocalist and any and every recording she has ever made is worth the cost of purchase. "In & Out Of Love" is no exception to the Austin legacy. Though on the Concord/Vista label, this record should not be deemed a jazz recording. It is, in fact one of Austin's most funky, soulful outings since her days on Quincy Jones' Qwest Records in the 80s. Each and every track here has something to offer - proving again that Austin does sing everything well, with a unique understanding about the heart of each genre. The title song is the opener of the set and it almost says "I'm Baack!" to diehard fans, as she easily flows through a jeep-heavy R&B mid-tempo. The ballads, especially "I'll Never Get Over You" and "Once in A Lifetime" are heavenly, and the funk of "Totally Unacceptable", the spirited R&B of "Doe Si Do In" are splendid showcases for this vocalists' vocalist. "If We're Not In Love" is a gem as is the future dance/club hit "Why You Wanna Be Like That" Also, worth mentioning is the splendid "I Offer You Love", the up-tempo re-make of "Summer Breeze" and the gospel-tinged "I Will Be There" KDP

Patti is one of our finest vocalists, and I always anxiously await new releases from her. This 1998 release is not one of her best, but it's mainly because of the material, rather than her impeccably good vocals. While there's nothing wrong with trying to appeal to the current musical audience, I am disappointed in her choice of songs. There are, however, some excellent tracks: "Summer Breeze," the remake of the 1970's song by Seals and Croft is a great update and fun to listen to; the ballads "I'll Never Get Over You" and "Once in a Lifetime" are treasures too. "If We're Not in Love" and "I Will Be There" are also above average. The rest is fair to middling. But hey, I'll stop being TOO critical. Patti Austin is one of the best, and any offering from her, is worth adding to your collection!

This album is one of those in the vien of Patti Labelles "GEMS" and Anita Bakers "Rapture" you put it on and you don't want to ever take it off. I think my current record is about 6 times thru nonstop. I love this album. It sets a mood and then never breaks it. Perhaps none of the songs are the very best ever written but there are some gems in here and some wonderful lyrics that Patti fills with emotion.

I guess the best thing I can say is that when I play this at work; everyone who comes in (and I mean white, black, male female young old) and hears this is saying "Who is that woman? write that down I want to buy that!" Enough said you need this album.

Much has been written about vocalists and worth of material recorded throughout a career . . .

It is this writer's opinion that everything is subjective and all is open to criticism - yet a gift is a gift, a voice is a voice, a talent is a talent . . . .to be used as the artist wishes to use it. Having said that, Patti Austin has always been a special artist with wide-ranging talents and taste in music. Because of her diversity often she has been ignored or misunderstood, as the record business is keen on categorizing music and performer. Austin sings everything equally well, from "jazz" to "country" to "soul" to "pop". She is the the true meaning of vocalist and any and every recording she has ever made is worth the cost of purchase. "In & Out Of Love" is no exception to the Austin legacy. Though on the Concord/Vista label, this record should not be deemed a jazz recording. It is, in fact one of Austin's most funky, soulful outings since her days on Quincy Jones' Qwest Records in the 80s. Each and every track here has something to offer - proving again that Austin does sing everything well, with a unique understanding about the heart of each genre.

The title song is the opener of the set and it almost says "I'm Baack!" to diehard fans, as she easily flows through a jeep-heavy R&B mid-tempo. The ballads, especially "I'll Never Get Over You" and "Once in A Lifetime" are heavenly, and the funk of "Totally Unacceptable", the spirited R&B of "Doe Si Do In" are splendid showcases for this vocalists' vocalist.

"If We're Not In Love" is a gem as is the dance/club track "Why You Wanna Be Like That"! Also, worth mentioning is the splendid "I Offer You Love" (a soulful duet with strong session vocalist Tony Lindsay), the up-tempo re-make of "Summer Breeze" and the gospel-tinged "I Will Be There".

Austin's ever-glowing star shines throughout this entire CD, but it is most clear with her Grammy-worthy delivery on the updated 1950s "Maybe" that there is something just not right with a music industry that still refuses to give the mega-talented singer her propers!

This is a CD worthy of repeated plays, indefinitely ...

kprovo@hotmail.com

in this situation that i have found myself, this cd has the right kick of soul stirring melodies and jazz improvisation that does its thang to your brain. the title cut in & out of love describes me to a "t." i love this woman i can't get enough of it especially at this time in my life. since baby come to me, with james ingram. i have been dedicated to this woman whos voice is angelic. this album proves that she can hang with the best of them