Customer Reviews

It Was So Beautiful: Annette Hanshaw's Final Recordings

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

 

 

This is a super CD, thanks to Hanshaw and modern technology. I compared songs which are duplicated on the "Lovable & Sweet" CD from Living Era, and in all cases this one has better audio quality. Strangly, the technicians are not credited here, but the graphics person is, and this album has primitive graphics: computer jaggies, illegible writing on the disc, and very sparse documentation of the selections. You really would want both CDs, but if you want the best cover-art, get "Lovable & Sweet"; best sound, get this one. I am grading on audio. Documentation would get one star.

I was so glad to get this CD of her final recordings. Annette shows a new maturity on some of these songs such as "Say It Isn't So" which lingers in one's mind after hearing her rendition of this classic song. "Let's Fall In Love" is another stand out along with "Fit As A Fiddle". "I Cover the Waterfront"
and "Don't Blame Me" are superb renditions of two songs that have been recorded by so many artists. Annette Hanshaw is an integral female singer in the roster of 20s and 30s singers. Her music is her legacy and it is one to be proud of though it was far too short of a recording career, it was so beautiful.

I agree the sound is very good on this record, though for
some reason "Don't Blame Me" on my disc leaves off the
last 50 seconds. And there is very little documentation.
But these provisions aside, this is an excellent disc of the
more pop side of AH, and some of the songs are gems
too, like the wry "20 Million People" and especially "I'm Sure of Everything but You."

Annette Hanshaw's last recordings are great, and this collection nicely organizes them in chronological order--as if it were the last volume of the Sensation series. However, the sonic treatment of these recordings is pretty brutal. To cut down on the crackle and other surface noise, the engineers seemingly chopped off much of the high end frequencies.

I suppose one might not really notice this without an original record to compare it to, but sadly, these songs can and should sound MUCH better than they do here. But, there really is no other choice for Hanshaw fans, so you gotta go with this for now.

Annetet Hansaw was the greatest early female jazz singer, and she really swing hard! This cd cocuments her last recordings and finds the singer sounding very pensive, and romantic. She sings almost with a Conne Boswell New Orleans accent at times, and her backup bands are exellent jazz-wise. Annette quit at the top of her game, before the age of 30! This cd is essential for all fans of classic jazz, or for those who thought the only listenably female singer from the period was Ethel Waters.