Customer Reviews

Sirens of Song: Classic Torch Singers

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sirens of Song: Classic Torch Singers has fifteen magnificent songs from some of the greatest songbirds of the entire twentieth century. The sound quality is excellent and I love that artwork!

The CD opens with Julie London singing one of her signature songs, "Cry me A River." I don't think anyone ever sang "Cry Me A River" any better than the great Julie London sang it; and just one listen should prove this to you. I really like ho Julie opens up during this song and lets her heartfelt passion spread out to her listeners--it's quite majestic. Sarah Vaughan also does "Black Coffee" with panache; Sarah could sing quite well and this tune was one of her best ever in my opinion. Sarah's excellent sense of timing helps her performance immeasurably and "Black Coffee" is easily a highlight of this album.

Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady Of Song, performs "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You;" Ella sings this so well there's no doubt as to why she was so popular whenever she performed. Ella's voice is rich, warm and very vibrant and I like that a lot. She sure did give her all! Judy Garland also does a sublime rendition of "But Not For Me;" this song was one that Judy first sang in the MGM film Girl Crazy; and Judy still sang it beyond perfection many years later when this was recorded. Great!

Lena Horne performs "Stormy Weather" with heart and soul; and the big band arrangement enhances the natural beauty of this ballad. Lena sings this with her heart wide open and "Stormy Weather" is yet another highlight of this CD. Marlene Dietrich also sings her best on "Come Rain Or Come Shine" Marlene did this up right! I'm very impressed by Marlene's treatment for "Come Rain Or Come Shine."

Edith Piaf sings an English version of "La Vie En Rose;" this was one of Edith's signature songs and her English version of this ballad sounds heavenly to me. There's also Dinah Washington doing "What A Difference A Day Makes;" "What A Difference A Day Makes" sounds exciting whenever I hear Dinah sing this out so strong!

LaVern Baker performs "Soul On Fire" with panache; her fine treatment of "Soul On Fire" rocks gently and the arrangement that goes with LaVern's singing couldn't be better. The CD also ends very nicely with Ruth Brown's "I'll Wait For You." "I'll Wait For You" features Ruth Brown at her very best and that's quite all right by me!

Overall, this is an excellent CD for people everywhere who love classic pop vocals and the songbirds featured on this CD. You won't be disappointed!

I used to work part-time at Tower Records. Every day when you work at Tower, you get to play a CD sometime during the course of your shift. Whenever I played this CD, customers would flock up to the front counter wanting to know what it was and where in the store they could find it (the first time the copy I was playing was the only copy in the store -- the first customer who asked me for it got to buy it right off the CD player and I had to special-order it for a bunch of other people). It got so popular in the store that the manager ordered a bunch and put the CD on one of the preview-play stations.

It is wonderful! All of the songs bring one to a place of deep blue emotion. Soothing and Sassy, these torch singers will set soul ablaze with their mezmarizing lyrics and melodies. You'll love it and so will your Mother, Father , Sister , Brother, Spouse...You get now, so get it already!

Can you hear the soothing rawness of the needle landing on the vinyl? Can you smell the rich ruby lip rouge seducing the sound stage? Can you see the swaying sirens blessed with longing lungs and forelorn hearts? Here you have Edith Piaf and Etta James, the songs Cry Me a River and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. This collection sealed my arrival to true womanhood and music lover land. Listening to these ladies, true Torch Singers, I felt transported back to the hallways of my parents' high schools and my grandparents' parlour rooms. The biographical writings contained in the CD jacket makes for good reading as a luxe bonus. I've had this tremendous collections for years now but all that currently remains is the gorgeous CD cover, so I'm putting a freshly sealed copy in my shopping cart, as should you. Bought during a strange Eartha Kitt fixation, this CD offers a wealth of long satisfying listening pleasures. Run a bath on a rainy day or take a stroll through a fresh snowfall. Whatever ambient escape you desire, this auric interlude will warm you with blankets of nostalgic bliss.

Love this CD. I fell in love with torch music because of this CD. Anyone I play this for wants a copy of it. I would recommend this to anyone, no matter what your favorite style of music is. You will love this.

Heard the CD in a store in Newburyport, MA & HAD to have it...so I got on line to Amazon. Nice selection of songs ... can be great background music for those lazy days or entertaining or forefront music to enjoy. Smooth, cool jazz that isn't tooooo lazy or chaotic or eclectic...

This CD is fabulous - a must-have for those who love the classic torch singers.

"At Last" is performed by Etta James (correctly identified by Rhino records). Although Etta Jones 'also' recorded this song, Etta James' version was the popular standard from which others followed.

I fell in love, all over again, with these wonderful singers. This is as good as it gets! Listen to it and you'll fall as hard as this reviewer.

This review relates to the musical CD, "Sirens of Song:
Classic Torch Singers." Rhino: R2 72514. 1997.
The atmosphere, locale, and tone of these songs
and presentations is close, soft, intimate, jazzy blue,
and easily accessible.
The songs and singers are: "Cry Me A River", Julie
London; "Black Coffee", Sarah Vaughan; "Stormy
Blues", Billie Holiday; "I'm Getting Sentimental Over
You", Ella Fitzgerald; "But Not For Me", Judy Garland;
"Stormy Weather", Lena Horne; "Come Rain or Come Shine",
Marlene Dietrich; "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", Eartha Kitt;
"La Vie En Rose" (in English), Edith Piaf; "At Last";
Etta James; "Since I Fell For You", Nina Simone; "What A
Difference A Day Makes", Dinah Washington; "I Got It Bad
And That Ain't Good", Carmen McRae; "Soul On Fire",
LaVern Baker; "I'll Wait For You", Ruth Brown.
What really fascinates and pleases on this disc are
the distinctive tonalities, stylings, and intimate
involvement with the songs which each of these ladies
presents. As each voice comes on with its own song
of love-lorn experience and "wisdom" gained, it is
instantly recognizable as belonging to the particular
lady who sings it. There is pathos in these songs,
but scarely any pitiful whining. And, strangely,
although the subject matter is about sadness and
loss, the presentations are soft and soulful, very
restful and in a way, comforting. That's the way
of the world -- it happens to us all -- life is
not just laughter and blase glitz, it's also
cold experience and pain, but at some point there
has to be soulful, restful assessment and release.
For me, the slight irritation in some of the orchestrations,
is the "intrusion" of the jazzy, muted trumpets as if
inserting a bit of razzing worldly smart-aleck
comment. The other possible irritation for some
may be the inclusion of Marlene Dietrich among these
stylish ladies of song -- hers seems more like a
"campy" inclusion, with even a talking portion in
the song.
The personal standouts for me are Billie Holiday,
Ella Fitzgerald (stylish sophistication personified),
Eartha Kitt, Edith Piaf, Etta James, Dinah Washington
(what a special sound her voice has!), Carmen McRae
(another special sound).
The booklet included has excellent photographs of
Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald,
Judy Garland, Julie London, Eartha Kitt, Marlene
Dietrich, Etta James, and LaVern Baker.
The purpose is: "The lives of the women who pour their
hearts out on -Sirens of Song: Classic Torch Singers-
read like a litany of heartache, hardship, seesaws of
rejection and adoration, and deaths that came too soon.
Emotion and upheaval make for 'good torch.' Technically,
a torch song is about unrequited love. Here we have
broadened the definition to include all aspects of
love -- good, bad, and uncontrollable -- for that
special, or ultimately not-so-special someone." --
Norma Campbell Edwards. "Happy" listening.
-----------------------------
-- Robert Kilgore.