Customer Reviews

The Tender Trap

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fans of Manhattan Transfer's lead singer won't be disappointed with this nearly flawless collection of standards. Fred Hersch produced and played on the record, and guests include Hank Crawford, Michael Brecker and Russell Malone. Diana Krall only wishes she could sound like this!!

I admire Janis since she masters almost any style of music with her voice; from Be-Bop to Brazilian, from Rock 'n' Roll to shoo-bi-doo-waps, and from pop to jazz... On this CD she limits herself to (mainly) jazz ballads, but soo pure, soo honest, soo straight from the heart... As if she stands next to you when singing it. I haven't played anything else over the past 1,5 months. And I know what I'm talking about; I am a singer/arranger/composer... And her talent makes me feel soo small. But it gives me much inspiration, I can tell you!!!

I've been a big Manhattan Transfer fan for as many years as they have been around,and one of the main reasons for that has been the fabulous Janis Siegel. Her newest album is just fantastic. I've waited years for her to release a new solo album and finally she has and it is great. A must buy for anyone who loves good music.

This CD really knocked me out! Of course I love Janis in Manhattan Transfer, and knew I'd love this for that reason, BUT this exceeded any expectations many times over! Very jazzy, with some blues, some beatnik-ey, some bee-boppey...you just won't believe your ears! I can't stop talking about it!

Not the best Janis Siegel CD but it has a couple of nice colours...That Old Black Magic taken a tad slower, with more whimsy but still jazzy in contrast to the hot, raunchy "I Just Wanna Make Love To You"

(Excuse my english) Now it's time for Janis Siegel. I'm a big "Aficonado" to Janis. Her incredible voice and her vocal arrangements are fantastic. I Like a lot her last "The Tender Trap" and also "At Home". I think Janis is the best singer all over the world. I would like Janis recorded more solo jazz albums. It's posible release in CD "Experiment In White"?

Janis Siegel has the range and style to manage almost any type of music, but when she blows sweet and low on a jazz cut there is something magical goin' on. On this underproduced CD Janis doen't get a chance to show her stuff. There's nothing wrong and if you haven't heard Janis when she wails then you won't be dissappointed, but if you've listened to At Home it will break your heart. The Tender Trap is a flashback to an earlier time when singers and sound never really came into contact. Buy this if you've been listening to Diana Krall or Karrin Allyson, you'll be amazed. If you have heard Ann Hampton Callaway, Stacey Kent or Janis Siegel it will be a little ordinary.

As a longtime follower of the Manhatten Transfer, I've always enjoyed Siegel's live performances. On "The Tender Trap" she shows everyone how to mold and caress a song with incredible phrasing and style.

Manhattan Transfer, as a group, is an amazing jazz vocal ensemble. However, as this album proves, when one of them ventures into the "solo" realm, the results can be...well, boring. Janis Siegel certainly has the pipes to sing with the best of them, but this record simply leaves something to be desired. Siegel's backing musicians are of excellent quality (Fred Hersch on piano, the swinging Drew Gress on bass, just to name a few), but her voice just doesn't seem to fit some of these songs. Call her enthusiasm "fake," call it "forced," call it "nonexistent." Whatever the case, Siegel's voice seems downright apathetic in these songs. She doesn't blow the listener away, but she also doesn't bore him or her to sleep. She's simply there, making an okay record and nothing else. The best tracks are "Too Darn Hot" and "That Old Black Magic," but even these can't save an album this lackluster. Simply put, there are plenty of other albums by female jazz vocalists that should be sought out before anyone reaches for this one. Because of that, this album would be primarily of interest to Manhattan Transfer enthusiasts, and nobody else.

The redoubtable Janis Siegel, a key voice in the consensus greatest ensemble Manhattan Transfer, sounds like she's been knocking off solo efforts for years in this one. Her beautiful, rich voice sounds like she could have been trained for opera, if she had chosen to go there. Fans can be glad she didn't. The highlight of this one for me was "Too Darn Hot", with a great introductory trio of bongos, bass and Janis; but "Tulips or Turnips", a relatively obscure Duke Ellington tune, and the set-ending medley of "All Roads Lead Back To You" and "I Thought About You", are also terrific. The album is aided tremendously by the presence of Fred Hersch, one of the finest piano accompanists in the business. All in all, highly recommended.