Customer Reviews

Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen

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

 

 

Caught the show on PBS. I watched it only because Sandra Bernhard and Debbie Harry were in it. I was blown away by Rufus Wainright's "Paper Moon." It was like he was singing it to me and me personally and he meant every word. Very sexy, very hot. And I had never heard Wainright before, so I'm not just a fan. Then Marc Anthony Thomas sang "I've Gotta Right To Sing The Blues". Threw his head back, closed his eyes, and belted it out like he was the only person in the world and he just loved the song and wanted to sing it for himself and himself alone. Beautiful. Nothing in the rest of the show stood out as bad. Yes, some performances were worse than others. But these two astounding performances have haunted me for months. Now I've decided I just have to have the CD. I really want this on DVD, so I can watch those two again.

i cant fathom why people hate this cd.i personally think it is a really great tribute to the works of mr.harold arlen.it's really fresh,yes,i admit when u first press play,you wont get the lazy,lushful drawl of rufus's "it's only a paper moon" and you must wonder where and why debbie harry sings "stormy weather" in such a way that seems so outta place.but listen and keep on listening,you'll find all these performers are really one of a kind.they are unique in giving these tunes a zestful spritz as if it were really written exclusively for 'em singers in this cd.best of all they arent copycats like michael bubble,trying oh-so-hard to be like the originals.this is a tribute,a really honest tribute and a good intro to the new generation!stormy with marvellous good drenching of rain,this piece of record!

Just what is the point of a review which says "don't buy it".
I mean Harold Arlen's songs have always attracted rock & pop stars and after Patti La Belle & the Bluebelles' radical revival of Over The Rainbow in the 60s anything which sound more normal
Stormy Weather has been done by at least a dozen doowoppers including the 5 Sharps whose original single is supposed to be the most valuable in the World because only a few copies exist.
In the 80s Stormy Weather was revived by Richard Jobson of the Skids-probably an acquired taste but there you go

I listened to the first four tracks of this CD before I discarded it. They were self-indulgent performances much involved the performers' emotions. Turning a love song into a tortured lament may be excellent for self expression but it has very little to do with the music. I suggest the performers listen to it and leave the rest of us alone.

If you don't know Harold Arlen's music and just listened to this CD, you might conclude that he has nothing to offer. In fact, he is one of the most wonderful of songwriters. I would suggest a wonderful collection called "Harold Arlen Centenial Celebration 100".

I adore the music of Harold Arlen and was very excited by my purchase BUT this CD is going back to the CD store tomorrow. It is quite possibly the worst collection of attempts at singing I have ever heard. You don't have to wait long for it to get bad either - the first song is simply dreadful. To mention just a couple - Rufus Wainwright sings like he has huge marbles in his mouth, being almost indecipherable, slurring all the singing and generally destroying the enormous talent of Mr Arlen. Deborah Harry is a cool and sexy pop artist but cannot sing jazz, misses most of her notes (I know jazz isn't about being note perfect but this is painful to listen to). To make these recordings and then sell them to the public under the guise of talent is a slap in the face to all lovers of Arlen and jazz. BUY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

great CD highlighted by Deborah Harry...her stormy weather is hauntingly beautiful....

Risks were taken, but almost none of them work. Not recommended

This disc is worth it just for the Shannon Mcnally and David Johanson cuts. Buy it and learn.

I caught the documentary on Trio last night from which this CD was apparently taken. I love Arlen's music, and I was really looking forward to hearing about his life. Well, my first inkling that something was wrong was when the singer (Rufus Wainwright, I found out later) comes out and starts to mangle "Paper Moon." My GOD, it was bad. I winced every time he opened his mouth. So I figured he was just an anomaly, and continued to watch. But the next singer was equally as bad, and I kept thinking, there are TONS of great cabaret singers and Broadway singers out there; why weren't they used? When the third singer I heard sounded just as bad, I turned off the show in disgust. I can just imagine what the rest of the CD sounds like. Stay away!

Arlen's music is some of the best, but on this CD you'd never know it. The nutty arrangements and off-pitch vocals render the songs unrecognizable.