Straight Up With a Twist

Kitty Margolis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1997)
• Original Release Date: May 19, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mad Kat
• ASIN: B000005L7R
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,427 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, December 15, 2000

By 

Peter Ainsley (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Straight Up With a Twist (Audio CD)

I have to admit it took me a minute to get into this album. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer variety of the songs, and just that it wasn't quite what I expected from a jazz vocal album. A friend urged me to listen to it again, and now I feel like every time I listen to this CD I get more out of it. It's really an amazing treasure-trove of music, full of incredible singing, and remarkable musical performances. I was expecting Roy Hargrove to be featured on a hard swinger, and instead he plays muted trumpet throughout, subtly and beautifully--The Night has a Thousand Eyes is a perfect example. I was expecting Charles Brown to be featured on a blues, but no! He appears on a rollicking, obviously tongue in cheek party version of In Crowd (!), and a very slow and painfully poignant Wouldn't it be Loverly, which highlights the original and quite deep meaning of the lyrics.

All in all, this CD is a stunning surprise. I play it over and over, and can't get enough of it. Kitty Margolis is not just an incredible jazz singer, she's also a remarkable (and undersung) musical innovator. She makes everything seems easy and doesn't hit you over the head with her talent. She scats effortlessly and in a way that shows off her amazing command of the idiom, but never sacrifices musciality to show of her considerable chops. She digs into the blues hard, and sings ballads straight from the heart. Pay close attention, listen repeatedly, and you'll be richly rewarded with hours of pleasurable listening. This is some of the most inspiring music I've heard in many, many years.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't get any better!, January 9, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Straight Up With a Twist (Audio CD)

Kitty Margolis is just too much fun! From her wild and sexy reggae version of Fever to the incredibly energy she and the band create on My Romance, this album will leave you feeling happy! I love the ballads too, particularly The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, and We Kiss in a Shadow, two little masterpieces...incredible lilting tropical moods. But every track is filled with incredible stuff, and like one of the other reviewers said, it's worth paying really close attention. When I listened to Straight Up on the headphones I found so many more layers of great music to it, lots of delicious little subtleties.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This girl has FUN!, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Straight Up With a Twist (Audio CD)

Kitty has fun on this CD, and I loved listening to it! How glorious to see a woman pull out all the stops and not just look pretty and sing the same old songs the same old way! Kitty Margolis shows off her incredible voice, her creativity, and her joyful approach to jazz on this incredible recording. I love her, her music, her fabulous band (listen to Roy Hargrove and Charles Brown the way you've never heard them before!) and her beautiful risk-taking approach to jazz. Listen to it!