De-Lovely [SOUNDTRACK]

Cole Porter

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 15, 2004)
• Original Release Date: June 15, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00023GGHQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,914 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

At first glance, the approach picked for De-Lovely will be familiar to those who already own Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter. On both albums, contemporary pop stars cover classics by Porter. But many of the interpretations on Red Hot + Blue were modernized, whereas the approach on De-Lovely is more traditional---it's the soundtrack to a biopic about Porter, after all, so a classic (though not quite period) sound prevails. What's surprising is how well many of the singers handle the songs without the crutch of a contemporary pop retooling. Who would have thought that Alanis Morissette had such a natural affinity for "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)," for instance? She fares equally well in her screen cameo, whereas Diana Krall sounds superb on "Just One of Those Things" but looks horribly uncomfortable in the film. Other good surprises include Robbie Williams's "It's De-Lovely" and Kevin Kline as Porter, coming across as a more tuneful Rex Harrison. Elvis Costello, meanwhile, confirms he's a better songwriter than singer, and as Linda Porter, Ashley Judd is hesitant at best. In a nice touch, a recording of Cole Porter himself performing "You're the Top" provides the album's coda. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Product Description

European version of 19-track soundtrack includes the bonus track 'Easy To Love' - Kevin Kline. Columbia. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new generation of singers gets to tackle Cole Porter, January 3, 2005

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

One of the more interesting aspects of the "De-Lovely," the musical biography of Cole Porter, is that despite the appearance of major recording stars such as Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morissette to sing the songs it is the songs that you remember much more than the singers. This soundtrack collection does a nice job of presenting pretty much everything we heard in Irwin Winkler's 2004 film and if nothing here is a definitive version of a classic Cole Porter tune, then that is okay because the idea here is to introduce a new generation of fans to those songs while the rest of us take a nice musical walk down memory lane.

My favorite track is when Kline's Porter instructs John Barrowman's character on how to sing "Night and Day." My only serious complaint about the movie is that Kline really has to restrain his performances so that they are more in keeping with Porter's own singing abilities (which are amply demonstrated on the final track, "You're the Top"). If somebody wanted to let Kline record a collection of Cole Porter songs that would sound good to me; with Porter's witty lyrics having a performer who brings the sensibilities of an actor more than those of a singer, that would make sense to me. In a similar vein, I like Ashley Judd's sweet little duet with Tayler Hamilton on "True Love," so do not be surprised if you like the actors more than the singers on this one.

The spirited renditions of "Anyting Goes," "Be a Clown" and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" by the cast lose a little something reduced to just the audio dimension, but that is standard with any good production number from a movie. Elvis Costello's "Let's Misbehave" is okay, and the same is true for Crow's "Begin the Beguine" and Morissette's "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)." I kept waiting for one of the big names on the album to really blow me away with one of these songs, and it just never happened. Robbie Williams doing the title track is pretty good, as is Natalie Cole on "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," and I like Diana Krall's "It Was Just One of Those Things" more each time I hear it. But if after listening to the soundtrack for "De-Lovely" I am compelled to check out more recordings of Cole Porter tunes, I know I am not going to be alone. Fortunately, I know of a couple of definite directions in which to go (think Bobby Short).

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remembering The Songs Of A Great Composer . . . Cole Porter, November 16, 2004

By	Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* (CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This original motion picture soundtrack "De-Lovely" is a proof that Cole Porter's music means forever. The staying power of his music is simply amazing -- charming and timeless songs with wonderful melodies that will stay on in the hearts of musicians, performers, artists, music lovers and listeners through the years. Although his life was truly a musical drama and the later years were tragic after one of his legs was amputated, Porter will always be remembered as one of the most brilliant composers America ever produced.

This one gem of a CD covers some of the most loved compositions of Porter. I enjoyed the movie, which showcased Kevin Kline's versatility in being a very good actor, singer and dancer. He portrayed the role effortlessly. Likewise with Ashley Judd, she's not only a fabulous actress but she can sing too, in "True Love," a duet with Tayler Hamilton and "In The Still Of The Night" with Kevin Kline.

One of the best tracks is Diana Krall's jazzy and superb rendition of "Just One Of Those Things" which I enjoyed listening with a few repeats. I also enjoyed listening to Sheryl Crow's version of "Begin The Beguine" which she delivers splendidly with a Bossa Nova touch. It's another track that deserves a few repeats.

In "Night And Day," Kevin is coaching John Borrowman.... "you can sing this.... just don't think about the melody....just think about the words...just sing it with me....like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom.....night and day....try E flat....day and night why is it so?"........ This song is my all-time favorite and I consider it one of Porter's musical treasures.

Not to forget Natalie Cole's contribution to this soundtrack, she deserves an applaud for her lovely rendition of "Every Time We Say Goodbye." The most moving track is the romantic rendition of "In The Still Of The Night" with Kevin playing the piano and Ashley joining him in singing this all-time classic. Porter performs in the finale "You're The Top."

Although some of the tracks are somewhat obscure, at least the above-mentioned tracks are worth listening to, and still deserve my recommendation. It will be a lovely addition to your collection of original motion picture soundtracks.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars De-Lightful Covers By Songwriters, September 22, 2004

By	F. Hagan (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The idea behind the soundtrack for De-Lovely (Sony) is to have contemporary pop artists offer new interpretations, following a traditional path, of Cole Porter classics, and to have a majority of these artists be composers themselves. The film De-Lovely deals with the life of the man behind many of the 20th century's great classic standards, and it is wholly fitting that song writers and performers in their own right tackle material that was written both from the heart and from the life of a man who lived the very ideas of the material.

Already familiar with mining the beauty of the standard, Diana Krall stands out superbly on a fast-paced and jazzy rendition of "Just One of Those Things." It's really hard to compete with the Ella Fitzgerald version of "Begin the Beguine," and so Sheryl Crow makes a smart move reinterpreting this classic and some of Porter's best lyrics as a sultry rumba. Alanis Morissette is surprisingly deft in her cover of "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)," showcasing her ability to perform varied material outside of her personal image.

Kevin Kline betrays his own wonderful singing voice by trying to copy the style of Cole Porter too closely. The song tracks lifted from the film with Kline or Ashley Judd carrying a song play as imminently forgettable, though the understanding of emotion conveyed in "Night and Day" as performed by John Barrowman and Kevin Kline is right in line with interpretation of lyrics and what songwriting is really about. Robbie William's does an admirable job carrying the film's glorious title song "It's De-Lovely," sounding quite convincingly like he belongs on Broadway. One of the best pieces on the CD is performed by newcomer, Lemar, in a stirring rendition of "What is This Thing Called Love?" Lemar's buttery voice is going to be something to watch. Elvis Costello performs "Let's Misbehave" with all of the exuberance implied by the lyrics, but his voice has never been about melodic sounds as much as about emotion, a trait he shares with Porter. Cole Porter, like a spectral visitor overseeing a project, is allowed to close the album with a scratchy old recording of "You're The Top," offering a last glimpse at the subject of the work. The soundtrack, along with the film might not come right out and say something specific about the connection between the substance of an artist's work and who they are themselves, but it certainly implies it.