Sibling Revelry [Live]

Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 20, 1996)
• Original Release Date: February 20, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Drg
• ASIN: B000000PKN
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,892 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This entertaining live show from New York's Rainbow & Stars club in 1995 joins singing sisters Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway. The former is a suave jazz singer with a darker tone and sensational versatility; the latter is a clear-as-a-bell soprano best known for her late-'90s stint as Broadway's Grizabella in Cats. The album is sort of a musical autobiography, as the sisters sing together as well as trace their separate artistic developments through their choices of solo numbers. Ann demonstrates her cabaret repertoire with Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer's heartbreaker "Old Friend," while Liz displays her Broadway background with Stephen Schwartz's glorious "Meadowlark" and Frank Loesser's tender "My Heart Is So Full of You." The two also playfully spar with snappy patter and humorous duets, the most notable being "The Huge Medley," which strings together bits from over a dozen female duets, and the theme song from TV's The Nanny, which Ann wrote and the sisters recorded for the opening credits. A terrific recording. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Entertainment, December 25, 2000

By 

Kari M. Steenberg (Apple Valley, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibling Revelry (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of Liz Callaway's for quite awhile but had never been introduced to Ann Hampton Callaway's music. This CD was a perfect introduction.

These are two very talented ladies.

The CD covers all the musical bases from sweet to heart-tugging to jazzy to humerous. Their sibling interaction and the rendition of the music suggested to them is especially funny and entertaining.

I highly recommed this for any music lover's collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great CABARET album!, June 1, 2000

By 

Scott Cain (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibling Revelry (Audio CD)

This is a live recording of a great cabaret show starring sisters Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway. Liz is the best Broadway singer in NYC and Ann is the top cabaret singer currently. This album is a must for anyone who wants to laugh and enjoy great vocals from two very talented performers.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves..., June 16, 2003

By 

S. Sittig "Divawatch" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibling Revelry (Audio CD)

Ann Hampton and Liz Callaway have been well-known by Broadway and Cabaret afficionados for years. This CD, recorded live at the Rainbow & Stars in 1995 is a wonderful showcase for older sister Ann's deep jazz-tinged crooning and younger sister Liz's clear-bell Broadway soprano. Together or apart, their singing is definitely top notch.

Highlights are "The Huge Medley Parts 1 & 2" where the sisters go through a medley of every song that was recommended them by friends and colleagues who knew they were doing a show together. It's hilarious!

Also, their "jealousy-tinged" version of "Friendship" is good for several laughs at the expense of sibling-rivalry and "The Nanny Named Fran" is also an example of how even a sitcom theme can sound classy if approached with creativity and elan.

However, the CD has a few clunkers and they mostly occur when the sisters sing solo. While Ann Hampton does wonders with a medley of "My Buddy" and "Old Friend", she loses my interest with "Rhythm in My Nursery Rhymes". It's less about her scat singing (which is quite good), and more about the dullness of the song itself. Little sis Liz fares no better with the tepid Frank Loesser tune "My Heart is So Full of You", although she does ignite some sparks with her take on Stephen Schwartz's "Meadowlark".

Suprisingly, what would seem to be the most suitable duet on the album, Stephen Sondheim's "Our Time" (from the wonderfully difficult show MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG) sounds tired and lackluster. But the sisters soon rebound with a brilliant English version (a capella no less!) of Michel Legrand's "You Must Believe In Spring", from Jacques Demy's wonderful film LES DESMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT.

Overall, a great CD, that despite a few low points, is still pretty fun to listen to and an important addition to any musical theatre fan's collection.