Customer Reviews

Voice

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Voice" is an excellent set with Alison Moyet's strong & expressive vocals exploding on a collection of familiar tunes that are polished by her treatment. "Windmills of Your Mind" was the song around which she built the project. Long one of her and her mama's favorites, Alison hugs the melody like a fond embrace. The Michel Legrand melody with Marilyn & Alan Bergman lyrics merits classic status, "Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel, like a snowball down a mountain or a carnival balloon..." It's a gorgeous track, a fine beginning. For many years, Liza with a Z had my heart on the Gershwin classic "The Man I Love." In the liner notes, Alison recounts how her search for material was through sheet music rather than recordings so as not to be influenced by other singers' interpretations. On this track she knew only the first two lines & fills the deep emotions with Derek Watkins' fine horn aching dreamily. Moyet is a major Elvis Costello fan. "Almost Blue" is a melody whose glow grows with repeated listenings while on Costello's Burt Bacharach collaboration, "God Give Me Strength," she brings new shadings and a sense of quiet strength & resolve. "Cry Me A River" has been recorded by artists as diverse as Joe Cocker, Aerosmith, Joan Baez, Jeff Beck & Ray Charles. Its amazing emotional wallop is sometimes overplayed as if by bad actors in a melodrama. Here, Moyet gives the song a bit of tease and sass in nuance while Julian Jackson's harmonica emphasizes the melody's deep sweet sadness. On the bonus track version Alison takes Bacharach's "Alfie" and lets the melody flow through her with the little trill on "if only fools are kind." All of the tracks here are strong from the French songs to "Bye Bye Blackbird." If I had any constructive criticism, I'd have enjoyed a couple uptempo toe tappers to vary the pace a bit. But Alison does an excellent job on this powerful performance. Enjoy!

Recently I been listening to the Alison Moyet's most recent album "Voice" more and more and truely feel its addictiveness.

I have been a fan of hers since I was a little boy as it all started with a group called Yaz (yazzo). Ever since, her voice has been one of the most memorable voices in the music scene for me. After her departure from this synthpop legendary band (Alison Moyet & Vince Clarke) to pursue her solo career, she moved further and further away from the sound she started out with (somtimes good, other times not). With "Voice", its a chapter of her career that shines so brightly. Although only a cover album, its defiantly one of her strongest releases to date. This time she took her voice to another level as she teamed up with Anne Dudley for a twisting ride of dark classical orchestra with a twist of soft soothing jazz that melts so well with Alison's mesmerizing voice. She may have tried something new in terms of style and delivery, but she has succeeded beyond words. Her delivery from "windmills of your mind" to the sexy French singings of "la chanson des vieux amants"...there is no stopping. She has certainly aged like good wine as not only her voice sounds top notch, but so does her looks. She looks more beautiful now than she ever did throughout her long career.

If any aging icon has the inherent right to perform standards, old and newer, it is the impeccable exquisiteness of Moyet's rich and dense texture. Her manly, brooding alto brings deep, nascent understanding of the oft-recorded lyrics; it's almost as if she were borne to sing these. Her `Windmills Of My Mind' is clearly one of the most brilliant takes of this song ever recorded. The rest are deliberately paced, slow-burning and permeated with sense and sensuality. While Rod Stewart continues raping the standards canon with his queasy grasp at quasi-relevance, I'll bask in the glow of Moyet. My grade: A

This is a cool blue jazz album featuring the warmest female vocalist and the most talented orchestral arranger of our day. The product is charming, soulful and inspiring. Like a whole album full of That Ole Devil Called Love. This CD makes me want to sing.

I'd rate this higher if it contained just a bit more variety. As an entire album, it's a bit too sluggish for my taste. Following rather quickly (for this artist) on the heels of HOMETIME, VOICE was quite a surprise, though. I like HOMETIME better, as it is more like the Moyet I know and prefer, but hey, each to his own. What I do admire about this effort is that Moyet has done a standards album that paves its own way and is unlike the dime-a-dozen easy listening covers records we're getting way too many of these days from former pop/rock stars (Rod Stewart needs to STOP, and Bette Midler's and Barry Manilow's recent "tributes" to Peggy Lee and the music of the 1950's, respectively, are bland, to be kind). The big highlight here is easily "The Windmills Of Your Mind," which rivals the one I've always loved best (Dusty Springfield's practically definitive rendition from DUSTY IN MEMPHIS). Moyet's version is not like any other recording that I've heard. First of all, here's a tune that's often done at a medium to fast clip, which really works slowed way down. Secondly, the glass harmonica combined with Alison's amazing voice is so eerie and haunting and lovely that this track sends shivers up and down my spine every time I listen to it. My other favorite is "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life" (also done very well by Springfield, Sinatra, and many others). Talk about a melody and the quality of a voice being perfectly matched -- sublime! In fact, there is not a bad performance here, although like every singer I've ever heard do "Cry Me A River," save Barbra Streisand, Moyet misses the point. This is an angry and sarcastic song, and yet everyone seems to think that it is a sad, drippy ballad. Oh well, at least Alison seems to see the humor in the piece, if not the fury. In conclusion, this CD could have used a couple of swingers to spice up the proceedings, but I can't fault the set's production values or the excellence of the singing. If one wants to use VOICE for late night listening or for some powerful commiseration, there is little here to break the mood. I hope Alison Moyet is around for a good long time, and continues to make records as great as this, and the one before it.

"Voice" is an excellent set with Alison Moyet's strong & expressive vocals exploding on a collection of familiar tunes that are polished by her treatment. "Windmills of Your Mind" was the song around which she built the project. Long one of her and her mama's favorites, Alison hugs the melody like a fond embrace. The Michel Legrand melody with Marilyn & Alan Bergman lyrics merits classic status, "Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel, like a snowball down a mountain or a carnival balloon..." It's a gorgeous track, a fine beginning. For many years, Liza with a Z had my heart on the Gershwin classic "The Man I Love." In the liner notes, Alison recounts how her search for material was through sheet music rather than recordings so as not to be influenced by other singers' interpretations. On this track she knew only the first two lines & fills the deep emotions with Derek Watkins' fine horn aching dreamily. Moyet is a major Elvis Costello fan. "Almost Blue" is a melody whose glow grows with repeated listenings while on Costello's Burt Bacharach collaboration, "God Give Me Strength," she brings new shadings and a sense of quiet strength & resolve. "Cry Me A River" has been recorded by artists as diverse as Joe Cocker, Aerosmith, Joan Baez, Jeff Beck & Ray Charles. Its amazing emotional wallop is sometimes overplayed as if by bad actors in a melodrama. Here, Moyet gives the song a bit of tease and sass in nuance while Julian Jackson's harmonica emphasizes the melody's deep sweet sadness. On the bonus track version Alison takes Bacharach's "Alfie" and lets the melody flow through her with the little trill on "if only fools are kind." All of the tracks here are strong from the French songs to "Bye Bye Blackbird." If I had any constructive criticism, I'd have enjoyed a couple uptempo toe tappers to vary the pace a bit. But Alison does an excellent job on this powerful performance. Enjoy!

For those who have listened to Alison since the 1980's - this is the album of her career. The rich, textured VOICE is best suited for these songs.

Windmills, What are you doing, Cry me a River...all these songs seem to bend themselves to her magical interpretation. Lush songs sung with the greatest of care by an ARTIST who has done nothing but create another MASTERPIECE of music to add to her already impressive collection.

CHEERS to you ALF! You've done it again! BRILLIANT work by Anne Dudley as her arranger, conductor, and producer....just buy it, listen to it, and fall in love all over again with the woman and her VOICE!

Covers albums can be awkward things but, in the capable hands of Alison Moyet, such a project is born with ease. Never one to rest on her laurels, Moyet (in the company of Oscar-winner, Anne Dudley) elegantly commandeers a stunning breadth of standards and classics without veering into lowest common denominator territory.

Freed from the constraints of songwriting, Alison Moyet uses her instrument, that incredible voice, to delve into the character and spirit of each song. Imbuing each one with her unique character and charm, she manages to make "The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies-O" and "Bye Bye Blackbird" sit comfortably alongside Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue." The songs are set in completely acoustic, orchestral arrangements and the listener needs to remember that this is definitely NOT a pop album. The tempo is muted and the song selection is drawn from opera, pop, folk and jazz. This is music for grown-ups and repeated listening pays dividends.

Highlights - and, boy, there are many! - include the assured jazzy delivery of "The Man I Love" and "Cry Me A River"; the heartbreak of Bacharach/Costello's modern gem, "God Give Me Strength"; the heart-stopping darkness of "Dido's Lament"; and Brel's incredibly beautiful love song, "La Chanson Des Vieux Amants".

Make no mistake, these songs are no longer in the common domain: they are now utterly Alison Moyet's.

Rather than give a play by play review, I'll help you out with a quick note to supplement the thoughtful writings (and occassional hyperbole) you'll find in other customers reviews.

When asked about the title for this project by a journalist who was mistakenly thinking she was referring to herself as perhaps "The Voice" (ala Streisand or Sinatra), Moyet hastily pointed out the real meaning of the title: all of these songs place a primary importance on the usage of the human voice as a musical instrument, and afforded her a chance to learn and stretch her own abilities. Rather than anoint herself and give us a predictable and slick package of "Standards", she was simply using the opportunity to learn (as in a college course that might be called "Voice"). Along the way she got to pay tribute to songs that intrigued her. She approaches the legacy of one of the greats here: Dusty Springfield. In fact she covers two songs Dusty had recorded, and her phrasing, though exquisite, is not content to copy anyone. She makes these songs her own, and we, like her, find ourselves learning along the way.

Once viewed in the proper light, it becomes apparent just how wonderful the occassion of these recordings truly is. Anne Dudley was criticized for what some called "boring" arrangements. The word is "understated" or maybe "tasteful", people. For example: I don't recall ever hearing a string quartet on "Windmills of Your Mind", nor do I recall noticing it was used here until one of many recent listens.

Dudley and Moyet have taken the high road here. Follow them, and see familiar musical terrain from a delightful and elevated perspective.

Best known in the United States with her niche fame as the lead singer for the synth pop duo Yaz (Yazoo in their native UK) whose first album "Upstairs at Eric's" which took four years to go gold and seven to go platinum via mostly word of mouth, Alison Moyet has never achieved the level of notoriety in the US that she has in the UK. Her solo career has produced only one US hit, "Invisible" which was written by the legendary Motown team of Holland Dozier Holland and reached #31 in the late spring of 1985.

This album isn't, unfortunately, likely to expand her notoriety in the US but it is probably the finest album of her solo career. Skeptics can be forgiven being leery of yet another "standards" album by a contemporary pop singer because so many of those have proven to be bland exercises. This one is not. Kicking of with a sultry cover of "Windmills of Your Mind" the set contains selections from variety of writers, ranging from Brut Bacarach, George and Ira Gerswhin, and Elvis Costello. There is even a traditional English ballad here in "Wraggle Taggle Gypsies O." It is difficult to imagine how one makes selections like this into a cohesive statement, but Moyet does and the orchestra she sings with is never obstructive or distracting. This is, ultimately, a recording that must be heard to be believed.