Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a great fan of Brenda Russell, then you will find this compilation noteworthy, but incomplete. The booklet with pictures is very informative and is an asset to the collection. The CD does have a very nice flow, which newcomers will enjoy getting to know. They will even recognize such songs as If Only For One Night (made famous by Luther Vandross), Get Here (made famous by Oleta Adams), and her own top 10 hit Piano In The Dark. All tracks were written by Brenda except for her smooth jazz hit with Michael Franks When I Give My Love To You. Rufus featuring Chaka Khan had a hit with Please Pardon Me (included her as a duet with her husband Brian) and Donna Summer had a hit with Dinner With Gershwin. She sings a funky tribute to Al Jarreau with Jarreau. Other great tracks are In The Thick Of It, Kiss Me In The Wind, Way Back When and her first chart hit So Good, So Right.

This collection includes a more cross section of material she has recorded over the years. Includes tracks from OOP LP's Word Called Love, Supersonic Lover, Love Life, Two Eyes and Soul Talkin'. Nothing from Paris Rain. It does not, however, include 3 important tracks. The singles Gravity & Stop Running Away and the B-side popular track Le Resteraunt (featuring David Sandborn).

Also check out her Greatest Hits Import!

This new collection combines 18 songs from eight different Brenda Russell albums and is the most representative collection she has released. Included here are the hits Brenda Russell is most known for: "Piano In The Dark", "Get Here", "Dinner With Gershwin", and "So Good, So Right". What makes this collection special is the eight songs that have never been released on CD in the United States. Brenda's version of the song she penned for Rufus, "Please Pardon Me", is a stirring, soulful duet with her ex-husband Brian Russell. The price of the album is worth it just for Brenda's moving tribute to Al Jarreau, "Jarreau"...one of the funnest, sexiest songs she has ever recorded. There are some really classic moments here. I gave the CD 4 stars only because it lacks some of her later material, like the top 40 hit "Stop Running Away". Also missing are Brenda's collaborations with Oleta Adams on the song "We Will Find A Way" from the "Corrina Corrina" soundtrack and from the "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" soundtrack. Still, you get eight pages of insightful liner notes that track Brenda's career from her Canadian teen years to the present, and eight hard to find songs. Hopefully this will be the incentive her labels need to release more of her product on CD. There's no way you'll be disappointed with what's here.

Intimate style with shades of romance mixed with soul, an inspiring listen from Hip-O Records ~ featuring the "Ultimate Collection" from Brenda Russell...beautiful person inside and out with talent to spare (composer, keyboardist and vocalist)...stand outs to be mentioned ~ "PIANO IN THE DARK"..."GET HERE"..."KISS ME WITH THE WIND", all three tunes show-off her versatility...and the highlight is "WHEN I GIVE MY LOVE TO YOU", featuring one of my favorite singers Michael Franks...blends his voice with Brenda, is a hauntingly beautiful duet, melody and lyrics stay with you for days...outstanding performances from the lady of the '70s, '80s and '90...BRENDA RUSSELL!

Total Time: 76:54 on 18 Tracks ~ Hip-O Records 314-556-221-2 ~ (2001)

Every song on this CD is a throw back hit. Brenda Russell's songwriting should get more attention; she's excellent.

brenda is a great talent,she has wrote some great songs.luther,chaka,stevie and earth,wind & fire can tell you that.

March 6, 2008

I started listening to Brenda Russell back in the VH1 video days when she was a juggernaut across the music business with masterful jazzy and eclectic fare like Piano in the Dark, So Good, So Right and Dinner With Gershwin. These collectively were not just songs or tracks but as I saw them, they were conceptual expressions. Truthfully, I have always thought of Brenda as a journeyman vocalist. She may be better understood and appreciated by the pros within the music business than by her fans who while cherishing her talents as a jazz pop star, have not arrived at an ultimate point of realization that Brenda is one of the best. She is exceptional because she comes equipped with everything necessary to be a marvelous singer. Brenda is an alluring presence, a smooth and tantalizing performer and what most listeners do not realize, she writes many of her songs. If you want some professionalism on your menu, buy Brenda Russell, draw a green tea for yourself and relax, you have never heard a style just like Brenda's.

Jay Adler, Music Critic

I purchased my first Brenda Russell CD without having heard her music. Instead, I had seen a poster for one of her London concerts repeatedly as a small restaurant where I lunch and something told me to give her music a try.

I can honestly say that I am glad that I did. She has a beautiful voice and the music captures the imagination as one listens to the lyrics. This, like her other works, was a welcome addition.

Give it a try, I think you'll be glad that you did.

Brenda Russell is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter who has never received the mainstream recognition she deserves. This near-perfect anthology of her work spans her entire career but should have included her 1990 hit "Stop Running Away"--a great song in its own right. That aside, however, this is Ms. Russell's best comilation to date and offers an excellent overview of her work. If you like soul-stirring music that will nourish your heart, soul and spirit...this CD is a must.

What a cool compilation. I loved the way the some of the songs sequed together without a break. It felt like I was listening to the artist's latest album instead of a greatest hits collection. Great liner notes and song selection.

Brenda. I've always loved her music. If Luther covered it, it had to be a work of art.