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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
After Sinatra? -- Nancy LaMott (the best of 'The Rest'), December 19, 2005
This album, "What's Good About Goodbye?" was waiting frozen in my mailbox when I returned home this evening. After it thawed (this IS the world's coldest major city) I listened to it four times in a row (five as I type this). That hasn't happened to me since . . . oh, an album-or-ten by Frank Sinatra.
Without casting aspersions on any of today's young `pretenders' to the throne . . . since `The Voice' left us in 1998, no one - certainly no MALE singer -- has come remotely close to the greatness that was Sinatra. Significantly ALL of Sinatra's favorite singers - the ones he most admired and learned from -- were women.
And three years BEFORE Sinatra's passing, the world lost a lesser-known but similarly gifted performer in Nancy LaMott - who some of us would now say, was the best `cabaret' type (read `saloon') singer since Frank.
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It was ten years ago -- December 1995 - that Nancy lost her struggle with cancer. She was only 43. Her producer/arranger/pianist David Friedman, who also composed (words and music) many of her best songs (including the last two tracks on this album, "Your Love," and "We Live on Borrowed Time,") says, in his liner notes . . .
"When Nancy died December 13, 1995 the world lost not only a warm, wonderful, fun-loving, compassionate human being, but a future of recordings that Nancy had in her head . . .
"We can only imagine what THOSE would have been (like . . but) we are fortunate Nancy left behind many, many recordings of songs she did in the studio -- as `demos,' in performance, as gifts, and just for fun."
Friedman left most of the piano playing to the brilliant Christopher Marlowe (truly the best keyboard accompanist I believe, since Sinatra's `career pianist' Bill Miller). Friedman notes that the first seven tracks on this album, for instance, were recorded by Nancy and pianist Christopher Marlowe simply as `gifts' (for a New York radio host who admired her work so much he TOO felt she was the "best since Sinatra").
"Miraculously," writes Friedman, "most of those seven (tracks) were recorded in one take, on the spur of the moment, with Chris not even using music - yet they still have the same magic that Nancy and Chris were known-for, on their more meticulously-prepared studio albums."
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"We sent these piano/vocal tracks over to (arranger) Peter Matz, who created the brilliant orchestrations that surround them, and then (we) opened up the masters, and added these orchestrations to the originals."
Friedman says his composition, " `Your Love,' (as heard here) is the original demo of my song that Nancy did in 1987 . . . thanks to which, the song went on to be recorded by Laura Branigan and Diana Ross.
"The demo was just (with) piano and synthesizer strings. We opened this one up and Peter Matz replaced the synth with a glorious 38-piece orchestra. It's a dream-come-true for me - and would have been for Nancy -- to hear her performance of this song in this setting.
"And finally (last track) we have Nancy's performance of `We Live on Borrowed Time,' exactly as it was done live at the 1993 `In Celebration of Life' (in aid of cancer research) concert, at `The Church of St. Paul The Apostle' in New York City."
That final song (for which Friedman wrote both words and music AND - be warned - may reduce unwary listeners to tears,) was performed on a Saturday night, for a congregation of several hundred; and over the warm applause we hear Nancy say, "See you tomorrow!" If only it were so.
Friedman's melody is simply grand and his words oh-so-haunting . . . and no one (well maybe just one other singer we could name) might have performed this any better than Nancy LaMott did before that live audience. Imagine a heart-wrenchingly beautiful melody with a lyric that reads, (in part)
I never thought that there could be . . .
A love like yours and mine
I never dreamed that I would see . . .
A day that I would find . . .
A Love that feels so right!
But here we are tonight!
And now the only thing we REALLY need . . .
Is Time.
We LIVE on borrowed time.
No one can be sure, when the loan will finally come due
But I'm LOVING all of mine!
I know what Time is for -- I've BORROWED it
So I can spend it all right here . . . with You!
There was a time when I believed
That Life held `guarantees.'
There was a time when I was sure
My future was secure . . .
But Life had other plans . . .
The future's in God's hands
And KNOWING that,
Has let me live and love you MORE."
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Nancy LaMott may be that once-in-a-lifetime singer - the one we `baby boomers' (in our fifties) may look back-on and declare `The Best of our Generation.' Nancy was born a little too late (after the golden era of great song writing) . . . and of course she died MUCH too young. But right up until her passing, ten years ago this month, she sang the greatest love songs we could ever hope to hear . . .
Many of her best performances are of `should-have-been standards' (as I like to call them) -- songs that surely WOULD have been standards, had Frank Sinatra ever given them a reading. Frank's the only singer who MIGHT have improved on what you will hear the moment you put on this CD. Like me, you may just leave it in your player as it gets better and better with repeated listenings!
Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Canada
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not her best, but still a steal., August 27, 2001
This is not the most consistent Lamott album--either in terms of the song selections or audio quality--but given the scarcity of Lamott albums along with the attractive pricing, it should be considered inexpendable. She worked with producer David Friedman on several of her recordings, which accounts for the inclusion of more sentimental fare not worthy of inclusion in the "Great American Songbook." But Friedman's "We Live on Borrowed Time" is undeniably moving, even apart from the circumstances surrounding Nancy (I've heard the song performed at funerals). And the version here of Petula Clark's "Downtown" is the one several professional skaters have used in recent national telecasts of their programs. But the definitive, most indispensable, "perfect" Lamott album will always be "My Foolish Heart." Its apparent removal from circulation is scandalous if not tragic.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recently Discovered Treasure, February 16, 2002
By A Customer
Exquisite voice, elegant delivery and extraordinary choice of material.It's hard to play another CD once you listen to her; she's habit-forming. I just bought enough to give away for birthdays, anniversarys and Christmas for all of next year.
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