I Refuse to Be Lonely

Phyllis Hyman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 7, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Volcano
• ASIN: B00000098Y
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,391 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Curtain Call Phyllis Couldn't Answer..., July 20, 2005

By 

Charli Girl (Mississippi, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Refuse to Be Lonely (Audio CD)

I Refuse to be Lonely---sadly her final recording effort that she left her fans with before her inner demons overtook her leaving Phyllis with the only choice she felt she could choose--death.

This CD showcases more of her own person writings, while at the same time, she revealed to her fans, to her friends, those closest to her that she was truly between the extremes, the overwhelming highs of euphoria and the bottom-dropping out lows that left Phyllis without the strength to want to endure any longer. The opening title track, I Refused to be Lonely was Phyllis' defiant athem of refusing to give in to the demons that haunted her--her own self proclaimed loneliness. Listening to that song, one would believe that she was going to win the fight. The final track, Give Me One Good Reason to Stay told all, she had no reason and thus, her demons won. While in between that, she begs the question, Why Not Me?

In the tracks, I'm Calling You, where she's seeking that love that her heart so long wanted to have. While This Too Shall Pass Away, written by Lorraine Feather, helps Phyllis cope with the loss of her mother and grandmother and Waiting For the Last Tear to Fall where she resolves to live through her pain and simply resolves to await for the passage of time to heal her heart and dry her tears. Then she flips the script and sings the upbeat Back to Paradise where she is determined to get it right, the upbeat It Takes Two and lets not forget the sassy, get 'em told, Its Not About You (Its About Me) where she demands to be treated like the Diva she is because it all about her, without a doubt.

Phyllis throws in a tune to exercise her jazz chops, just a little. I'm Truly Yours not only gives you a visual of a scene from a smoky, Cotton Club with a band behind her and a spotlight while she croones this tune to some lonely, lost soul in the audience who secretly admires her from afar.

The entire CD was her finest work where she beared it all. Many of her fans still wonder was this final CD her way of saying farewell to them. If Phyllis only could see how much her fans really loved her and her music. This final CD gave us her final effort. If Phyllis could have, she would have taken that final bow instead of leaving the fans standing in line waiting and wondering.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly Beautiful, March 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Refuse to Be Lonely (Audio CD)

Sadly, one of the most underated vocalists in contemporary music, this was the last album that she completed before her death in 1995.Phyllis had a voice like no other, there was no one you could compare it with.It came from deep in her soul and reached out to touch those who heard it.Although most of the songs on this album (and like most of those in her repetoire) are about strength and overcoming difficulties, listening to them in retrospect to her suicide gives them a much different meaning.You hear not only the strength and power of her voice and her emotions, but you hear and feel her vulnerability.There is not one mediocre song on this album.From the the very first note of the title track all the way through to the last song, "Give Me One Good Reason To Stay", which is almost like a final plea from someone in pain this album will certainly touch your soul.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A LEGEND NOT FORGOTTEN, June 28, 2001

By 

J. Fulghum (Beeville, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Refuse to Be Lonely (Audio CD)

I became a devoted fan of the late Phyllis Hyman, four years after her untimely death. I would have to say that this album is one of her best acheivements in her musical career. All the songs in this album relate to her premature passing and her sad and joyful times of her life. America has taken a huge loss without her. In my honest opinion, in history, it is THE BEST cd, any artist has ever produced. ALL the songs are exceptionally beautiful and hit you where it hurts, the heart. She delivers these soulful ballads so pure with much emotions that recognize her from no other singer, showcasing her rich tones, the deep yet warm timbre and her diamond hard elegant voice. She is sadly missed.