Unsuspecting Hearts

Emily Skinner, Alice Ripley

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 26, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B000028TV8
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,016 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley follow up their successful 1998 collaboration Duets with Unsuspecting Hearts. As in the previous album, the talented duo sings female duets from Broadway shows old and new, familiar and unfamiliar. In addition, each singer gets three solos, most notably Skinner's amusing take on the woes of singing middle parts in Heisler and Goldrich's "The Alto's Lament"; Ripley's "Losing Track of Time," from a musical based on Summer of '42; and Ripley's "She's Gone," a number cut from Side Show, the 1997 production in which these two first made their name together by playing Siamese twins. Also adding some variety are a couple of duets originally written for men, Sweeney Todd's "Pretty Women" and Martin Guerre's "Live with Somebody You Love." The title track is a previously unrecorded song from Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford's 1988 show Carrie. Those who enjoy Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley should also try the cabaret collaboration of real-life sisters Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway, Sibling Revelry. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Beautiful and Wonderfully Crafted, December 13, 1999

By	K. Alford "WriterBearSF" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a wonderful surprise! I was suspicious of this follow-up album. After Side Show and Duets, I smelled a quick-buck marketing scheme in the works. Bravo to both artists for turning in warm, heart-felt performances and giving us some great listening material as a result. Skinner and Ripley's blend cannot be beat. I've yet to hear two female performers who better compliment each other's style. And the solo material nearly eclipses the shared songs. Emily Skinner's rendition of Sondheim's "Miller's Son" made my eyes snap wide open. The liner notes are correct -- she is Petra. And Alice Ripley in "Losing Track of Time" wraps herself around the lyrics and illustrates how delicious the line between pain and joy in love can be. Don't pass this one up.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Unsuspecting Hearts" Will Grab YOUR Unsuspecting Heart, July 8, 2000

By	Glen C. Pruitt (Lewes, DE USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I must admit that I didn't know who Emily Skinner and AliceRipley were before I bought this CD. Selecting this album was a clearexample of serendipity! It's a wonderful mix of tunes, some familiar, some not. Regardless, the songs are exquisitely performed by Emily and Alice! My favorite cuts are the title song and "Losing Track of Time" (both power ballads). I also like the last two songs: "The Last Duet" (written by Barry Manilow --- a comic duet that he performed with Lily Tomlin) and "Old Friend". On the CD there's a bonus track, too! It's hidden after the last song. Just let your CD continue playing and you'll hear "Em & Als" goofing around and sharing a slightly off-key rehearsal tape. What can I say? These women are gifted, funny, dramatic... and this album has some mighty fine performances. Get a copy... you won't be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A step up...but not a leap..., September 7, 2000

By	"gypsykevin" (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This CD suffers from the same problem 'Duets' (their first album) did: Really bad arrangements and poor orchestrations. Both medley's are predictably arranged and 'I Don't Know How To Love Him' suffers the worst over-orchestrated syndrom.

The song selections are poor, and a few shouldn't have been recorded. 'Solid Silver Platform Shoes' and 'The Last Duet/Enough Is Enough' just don't fit into the flow of the album. 'My White Knight' is also a poor choice. 'I'm Past My Prime' is cheesy at best, and feels like it's been strained into a duet.

I think it's great when singers choose songs that have been previously unknown so I was excited to hear 'Unsuspecting Hearts'...a beautiful song, but the arrangement demon killed it with a too long instrumental bridge.

Solos were a nice change of pace. Emily shines with 'The Alto's Lament', and vocally succeeds with 'The Miller's Son' (although the latter suffers from over-orchestrations again). And Alice does great with uknowns like 'She's Gone' (cut from Side Show), and 'Losing Track of Time'...but, as I already mentioned, 'My White Knight' just didn't work.

This and the last CD have failed to produce the kind of connection Emily and Alice displayed in their Side Show recording. I really would like to see them recreate that, and ditch the arranger and instrumentalists of 'Duets' and 'Unsuspecting Hearts'.

Finally, there is a bonus segment (similar to their first album). But where 'Duets' had a fun bonus, this one is more like an inside joke that doesn't really work.