Twenties Sweetheart

Annette Hanshaw

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 5, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jasmine Music
• ASIN: B0000017EA
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,688 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #38 in

  Music > Pop > Oldies > Tin Pan Alley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 1920s Icon, July 28, 2001

By	David E. Lobosco (Glenshaw, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not many people remember Annette Hanshaw. I think maybe 1% of people my age (27) even would know what she did. However, Ms. Hanshaw was one of the first "true" female pop singer. Ruth Etting may be remembered more now, and maybe justly so. However, Hanshaw did it better and had a better range in a very short amount of time she was performing. I have a rare radio interview Hanshaw gave in the late 1970s, and she never fully understood why people liked her singing. She even claimed that she did not have any of her old records. (Annette Hanshaw died in 1985 at the age of 75).

This CD, puts together some of Annette's first recordings in 1925 such as "Black Bottom". The clarity of the disc is amazing when you realize that the recordings are 75 years old. Despite the crude recording techniques of the early 1920s, her voice comes out clear and powerful. You can only imagine what her career would of been like if better recording equipment would of been around then. Other highpoints of the disc include her version of Irving Berlin's "The Song Is Ended" and a personal favorite "Get Out And Get Under The Moon".

I just wish more people my age would explore this great music such as Annette Hanshaw. It is a treasure trove of gems, and like this CD, it is music that does not deserve to be forgotten...

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 1st real jazz singer of the 20's..., May 12, 2000

By	a (CA) - See all my reviews

Annette Hanshaw was just about the only female vocalist(not including classic blues moaners like Bessie Smith) that was really singing jazz in the 20's, the only other was Ethel Waters. Hanshaw would improvise, scat, and swing, backed by only the finest jazz musicians of the time, and since Hanshaw came from a wealthy family and was already quite wealthy herself, she could hire the finest jazz players like Manny Klein, Joe Venuti, The Memphis Five, Dorsey Brothers, and essentailly had the same backup groups that the Boswell Sisters had, in the 30's. Due to Hanshaw's wealth she did not have to record pop tunes like Ruth Etting, or Kate Smith, she chose herself what she would record so it's all jazz, and in fun. She retired in the early 30's unfortionately. This CD is a nice overview of her recordings from the 20's. Highly recommended.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great forgotten vocalist evokes the Jazz Age, July 10, 1998

By A Customer

Since the Gramophone review posted on this site seems more concerned with Miss Hanshaw's financial status and her backup band, it may be worth mentioning that Hanshaw captured, better than any other vocalist of her era, the Jazz Age. She has a plaintive, wistful quality which you won't find in any other vocalist of the period. Her diction is pure and clear and her phrasing is impeccable.The selections on this CD present some of her finest work. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A WALK? is the definitive recording of this delightful flapper era novelty song. FIT AS A FIDDLE is a perfect combination of vocalist, melody, lyrics and accompaniment ~ it's the best version of this song you'll ever hear. MOON SONG and LITTLE WHITE LIES demonstrate Hanshaw's considerable gifts for ballad singing. BIG CITY BLUES, THE RIGHT KIND OF MAN and THAT'S YOU, BABY are all in Hanshaw's best tempo ~ midway between blues and hot jazz. The classic songs in the set, BODY AND SOUL and LET'S FALL IN LOVE, are rendered with surprising power and poignance. YOU WOULDN'T FOOL ME, WOULD YOU? showcases yet another facet of Hanshaw's vocal abilities: her near-perfect Helen Kane 'boop boop a doop' impersonation. HO HUM!, a parody of the 'june spoon moon' songs of the period, may be one of the wittiest recordings of the era.

Tommy Dorsey, then a session player on a number of Annette Hanshaw recordings, once said that Annette Hanshaw was a musician's singer. That's a high compliment from Dorsey, who went to coach another young vocalist named Frank Sinatra. Buy this wonderful CD and find out for yourself how brilliant this great forgotten vocalist really is.

Rick Levinson