Customer Reviews

Swings Cole Porter

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bottom line, this is a great CD! 5 stars isn't really enough to rate this wonderful collection of Cole Porter tunes. Every cut is strong and I find the title a bit of a misnomer since beautiful ballads such as In the Still of the Night which is gorgeous and Easy to Love among others are included. When I think of "Swings" I think of the classic Anita O'Day-Billy May collaboration "Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter" where almost every cut was taken a breakneck speed. Maybe a more apt title should have been "John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter Gently". Whatever the title, John Barrowman sings Cole Porter beautifully including the more obvious choices such as Just One of Those Things, What Is This Thing Called Love? which has a Nelson Riddle-ish arrangement, Don't Fence Me In and Anything Goes to less obvious choices that are recorded less frequently which happen to be personal favorites of mine including After You, Who?, Ca C'est l'Amour and I Happen to Like New York. This collection should please the Porter purist as De-Lovely did not. All of the arrangements are tasteful and John's vocals are incredible. I'm sure Cole Porter would be pleased with this recording as John has a strong voice, excellent enunciation and is true to both the lyrics and music as written. John Barrowman has what it takes to be a huge star, very handsome and very talented. If you saw De-Lovely he has not only a very strong voice, but real screen presence as well. His rendition of Night and Day with Kevin Kline was a highlight in a film filled with highlights. I highly recommend this album to anyone interested in great music from the American songbook, excellent singing, show tunes, etc. Pick it up immediately as you won't be disappointed. BTW, Night and Day is NOT included here in either the duet version from De-Lovely or in a solo version.

I have to confess I didn't know John Barrowman from John Doe when I stumbled on this CD on Amazon through "links", I listened to the samples and wound up buying the CD!! It's good to see somebody fairly young who is out there recording classic-style pop music (not too young fortunately, spare me those unctuous wunderkinds on the big labels with big media campaigns who are so slick and false). Barrowman is quite an appealing singer although I didn't care for the rah-rah treatment given "One of Those Things" (especially the way he attacks certain lines and stretches them out showy like somebody on a 1960's variety show) or "Don't Fence Me In" (especially the corny jazz session intro). But he is quite good otherwise, and sings romantic songs like "In the Still of the Night" and "Ca C'est l'amour" with just the right touch, never with the smug smarminess of some of his better known rivals. I play this CD quite a bit and will probably get some of his other releases before long.

Having never heard any of John Barrowman's singing before purchasing this CD, I didn't have any real great expectations. However, I have to admit that I cannot stop playing it now. My favourite is You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To.

I bought this CD several months ago and play it all the time.
I was going to see John in "Anything Goes" in London and his rendition of the title song from that musical is on this CD and is fantastic.
John also appears in the new Kevin Kline/Ashley Judd movie "De Lovely" which is the story of "Cole Porter", so this CD just adds to the great Cole Porter Music, John sings. John sings "Night and Day" with Kevin Kline in the movie and on the soundtrack for the movie.(John sings it solo on this CD).
I am buying many of my friends the CD for Xmas, as I know they will love it.

This album is just wonderful to listen to, great variety of songs and beautifully sung. The voice of John Barrowman has to be heard, every word is sung clearly and pitch perfect.
A favourite song of mine is Anything Goes, done slower than the show version, but it really works, definitely worth listening to.
The CD has a good variety of Cole Porter songs to suit all musical tastes, it has been money well spent!

John Barrowman has produced an excellent CD of the music of Cole Porter, containing many classic Cole Porter numbers mixed with a selection of the not so well known. Each of the selections is given a superb interpretation by the multitalented John Barrowman.

I must confess that this CD has taken up residence in my car CD player since I purchased it. CD's like this performed expertly by the popular singer and actor John Barrowman will no doubt introduce many of today's youngsters to the music of one of the great song writers of the 20th century.

Have to agree with Mr JD Arndt (reviewer) This simply is a well put together cd. Cole Porter being my very favorite composer of American standards, John Barrowman put out one hell of a cd with this one and I'm sure Cole would be just beaming. Also purchased his Broadway cd, that one is no comparison, infact, I sold it. Being a fan of Mr Barrowman, I expected better. This one is a winner, one that you should enjoy for years to come, I promise.

Why isn't this man a HUGE star in America? Why isn't he on Broadway right now? He is the type of singer that composers truly love because he actually sings the MELODY...the pure, unadorned MELODY. Fans of the classic American repertoire must check out this CD. Barrowman's version of "In the Still of the Night" is a heartbreaker, and his "After You, Who" brought tears to my eyes. I grew up on Porter, Gershwin, Kern, Berlin, etc., and these songs can't be done any better. Enjoy the melodies, enjoy the emotion, and, above all, enjoy the vocal treasure that is John Barrowman.

I love this CD. Yes, John is very vanilla, but he goes down so smooth. It's a must have for John Barrowman fans and Cole Porter fans alike. "Ca, C'est l'Amour" is my favorite tune. With this CD, John shows why he is "Easy To Love"!

What an amazing album. John Barrowman has the voice of an angel. I had not heard of most of the songs on the CD but even my 3 year old is singing them now. John Barrowman brings warmth, laughter, joy & pain to each song. From the incredibly toe tapping 'Don't Fence Me In' to the deep story of 'Miss Otis Regrets' this album will have a place in my CD collection for ever.

A must for every cole porter / swing music or John Barrowman fan.