Customer Reviews

Sittin' On a Rainbow

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If you like singers who know how to blend, tasteful piano and bass playing, and "The Great American Songbook," you must own this CD. "I Don't Want Him" is not to be missed. Mike & Lynne's version of "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" is considered by many the definitive version of the Bergman's now classic song. Mike & Lynne are truly unique. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of discovering them, do so now.

Focusing on the theme of love, often thwarted, in songs which range from Irving Berlin's "You Can Have Him," sung as a solo by Lynne, to "It's All Right to Be Afraid," a song written recently by Lynne, Mike, and Arthur Hamilton, and sung by Mike, this album shows Lynne and Mike as consummate actors with songs. Sometimes slowing the melody in order to address the listener more directly and give new, often passionate interpretations to familiar songs, Lynne and Mike bring these standards to life, illustrating music's ability to reach beyond time to communicate universal feelings, and to celebrate true melodies, rather than noise.

This album has some features which newer fans of Lynne and Mike may find surprising. Instead of limiting the accompaniments to Lynne's piano and Mike's bass, as they usually do, they include Jim Repa on sax and flute, and Brad Hatfield on synthesizer on some tracks. In "Sittin' on a Rainbow," the vocals are partnered with a jazzy sax improvisation and solo by Repa, as Lynne plays quiet piano in the background. In "You Are There," a synthesizer by Hatfield gives the poignant sound of strings to Mike's fantasies and whispery vocal musings, while in " 'S Wonderful," a flute solo contributes to their upbeat duet.

Mike solos on "You Are There" and "I Concentrate on You," both of which have passages in which Mike "talks" musically, almost whispering the lyrics and bringing them to life. Lynne's simple but anguished rendering of "Sweet Bitter Love," and her contagious sadness in "He Was Too Good to Me," show her mastery both of the music and the drama of these songs, while her version of the ironic "You Can Have Him," one of the strongest songs of loss on the album, shows that Irving Berlin's music still has the power to move the singer and listener to tears.

"Taking a Chance on Love," in which both Mike and Lynne sing scat and on which Lynne plays a wonderful jazz piano, and the surprising blend of "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Ain't Misbehaving," on which Lynne's long solo is paired with a sax solo by Repa, are among the jazziest tracks. Strong voices, sensitive renderings, lyrical interpretations, instrumental musicianship, and sense of communication with their audience and each other attest to their long collaboration and their desire to pay honor to the composers of the Great American Songbook. Mary Whipple