Customer Reviews

Right As the Rain

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

 

 

It's wonderful to have this early "crossover" album available again. Aparently, Miss Price was known for leaning on a piano at parties and singing this kind of thing. It's a shame she didn't do more of it. Everything on the album is interesting, and sung with feeling (and, in a few cases, just the right amount of archness or irony), some are very operatic in approach, some quite jazzy, all accompanied perfectly by Previn and the varying accompanying forces. I don't think the two Previn songs have ever been recorded elsewhere, and both are very good songs, indeed.

I was pleasently suprised on first hearing this cd. First off, the sound quality was excellent for the period. I would also like to point out that leontyne's english diction was even better than I hoped. She didn't over sing these little gems of the american song book, but brought them to life with great, feeling, expressiveness, and passion. Her voice sounds very beautiful & rich with many low sultry notes.
I will never stop listening to this little known treasure. Pick up this out of print cd before it's gone. A must have for leontyne fans. Fabulous recording.

I purchased this music in vynal form for $1 at a Salvation Army store. I have it on my wish list as I plan to eventually upgrade to CD. So often when opera singers attempt to deliver popular songs it comes out mush...but not this time! Leontyne Price sings with authenticity of feeling and is jazzy and sultry to the point where one wonders why she hasn't recorded more of this kind of music. The high points are her renditions of Harold Arlen's "Right as Rain" and "A Sleeping Bee". "Love Walked In" by George and Ira Gershwin is also done just right with a cool jazz trio for support. Of course, much of the masterful seasoning goes to Andre Previn who is quite up to these arrangements as he is one of the few musicians who has managed to be quite ambidextrous as both a classical and jazz musician. I would also guess that Ms. Price's background in gospel music also carries over to jazz which, to an extent, comes from gospel in the first place.

All in all, a very classy record.

I love this CD so much because it's from the 50's times I love the 50's times. I only like the songs abought like I'm your pupet or angel baby or Johnny Angel.