The Speed of Life

Madeline Eastman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 2, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mad Kat
• ASIN: B0000C3I2S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,572 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It seems like a long time since Madeline Eastman first turned heads with "Calling You," the theme from the movie Bagdad Café, in her 1990 debut. But ever since she's continued to turn out well-regarded albums for her own Mad Kat Records label, including her 2003 opus, The Speed of Life. Half of the tunes are by Richard Rodgers, including four he wrote with Lorenz Hart and one each with Stephen Sondheim (a romping, minor-key "Do I Hear a Waltz") and Oscar Hammerstein II ("We Kiss in a Shadow"), but the others are all over the map, such as Carole King's "Up on the Roof" and a "Get Happy" that seems almost suspended in time. Indeed Eastman and her band have a habit of twisting familiar songs into something you've never heard before. Mike Olmos's Harmon-muted trumpet has the sexiest solos, but the ensemble as a whole deserves credit for stalwart support of a classy program. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely superb CD!, October 22, 2003

By 

Bill McConnell "Bill McConnell" (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Speed of Life (Audio CD)

If you are a fan of sophisticted, deep and witty jazz singing you'll fall in love with CD. Eastman is in the very top echelon of practitioners of the art. I especially like her soulful cover of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" and her contemporary treatment of "Up on the Roof." Highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligence Captured in Song, January 3, 2004

By 

groucho "groucho_nc" (Chapel Hill, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Speed of Life (Audio CD)

Eastman is a San Francisco Bay Area-based jazz singer. She swings, scats, teases a ballad and takes risks. She has a fine vibrato that she does not use often in the service of a song. She can be Betty Carter-daredevil one minute and be Dominique Eade-cerebral in another. Her version of "Get Happy" was unlike what we have heard of in years. She cuts the phrases and syllabicated some in unexpected ways. Her version of Carole King's "Up On A Roof" will make you realize how this woman can just about make any music sound jazzy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She's the coolest, January 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Speed of Life (Audio CD)

Wow, what a sensational CD! I've always admired Madeline Eastman's wonderfully quirky musical slant---on "Speed of Life" she tops herself. As usual, you never quite know what twists and turns her music will take, yet there is a clear vision thru-out this album. All the elements I've come to expect of Ms. Eastman are in evidence; off-kilter phrasing, wry humor, a worldliness coupled with her uncanny ability to deliver the song's message. The highlights for me were: "Get Happy", "Do I Hear a Waltz?" and "Up On The Roof". Believe me, you ain't heard these songs till you've heard Ms. Eastman's versions! I've always admired Eastman's musical integrity drawing us in rather than beating us over the head with her music. Can't wait for the next release, in the meantime, I'm a fan for life!