Play It Cool

Lea DeLaria (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 12, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B00005J9X2
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,290 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

1. Ballad of Sweeney Todd

2. Cool

3. I've Got Your Number

4. With Every Breath I Take

5. All That Jazz

6. Life Has Been Good to Me

7. Welcome to My Party

8. Lowdown-Down

9. Once in a Lifetime

10. Losing My Mind

11. Straight to the Top

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Standup comedian, actress, and singer Lea DeLaria presents a less confrontational image here than she did on 1994's Bulldyke in a China Shop, adopting the role of seductive, witty, confident, and heterosexual jazz chanteuse to perfection. Her voice ranges from little-girl-lost innocence to harder-edged tones, both suited to the opening "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." With stylings from Billie Holiday to Judy Garland, "I've Got Your Number" heads straight for the heart of 1950s big-band balladry, improvised scat vocals proving DeLaria can swing with the best. "Cool" is anything but, the accompaniment understated, that voice dripping with the promise of sex. In "With Every Breath I Take," we get to imagine every late night smoky bar in every old Hollywood film we've ever seen--while it is pastiche, the characterization is startlingly evocative.

DeLaria sums it up with "All That Jazz," confidently suggesting, following her recent twin roles in the lavishly acclaimed 2000 Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show, that this girl just wants to have fun playing bad. When she sings "Life Has Been Good to Me," she has such an upbeat twinkle, you suspect she means every word. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lea Kicks It!, June 16, 2001

By	Chuck (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews

About a year ago my partner and I attended a Lea Delaria concert in Seattle. We expected it to be a concert in the comedy sense, for we only knew Lea for her outrageous comedy routines. While we received a healthy dose of that, we were just stunned when she introduced her jazz band and began belting out the tunes. She has an amazing voice. Classic Jazz, showtunes, this lady can sing and swing. And she can scat with the best of them.

At the end of the concert, she mentioned that she had a record coming out in 2001. I was on the waiting list as soon as it appeared for preorder on Amazon. I was not disappointed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply great, July 4, 2001

By	B Barrios (New Brunswick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I first found out Lea could sing when I saw here in _On The Town_ in Central Park. Her rendition of "I Can Cook, Too" made me an instant fan, as did her version of "Blue Skies" in the movie _Edge of Seventeen_. After having the pleasure of seeing her act at Joe's Pub in NYC, I was waiting and hoping for her to cut a cd.

And here it is. I love her version of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd"--she does a great job of jazzing it up. And her version of "Losing My Mind" is soulful and rich.

Lea has a great voice and I am really enjoying this cd. It's great music to have on for company or dinner parties or while simply hanging out.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth!, August 6, 2001

By A Customer

She may be a bull ... in a china shop, but Lea's voice is as smooth as the peach fuzz on her chin. She masters the vocal subtleties of jazz, and yet she can belt it out when she needs to. On this CD, Lea gives us some wonderful and unique interpretations of a varied collection of Broadway tunes. Her take on "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is unlike any you've ever heard before.