Hummin' to Myself

Linda Ronstadt

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 9, 2004)
• Original Release Date: November 9, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B000269QX4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,505 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

What is it about erstwhile '60s rock stars nearing 60 that draws them to standards? Just as Rod Stewart has mined the works of Styne & Cahn and Cole Porter for his bankable (if heavy-handed) Great American Songbook series, so, too, has Linda Ronstadt turned to pop classics in the autumn of her career. Of course, Ronstadt has been here before, having enlisted Nelson Riddle to guide her through three standards collections in the '80s. With Hummin' to Myself, the peripatetic vocalist eschews the robust big-band arrangements that marked What's New and its offspring for small-ensemble treatments of the likes of "Miss Otis Regrets" and "Day Dream." With either Alan Broadbent or Warren Bernhardt at the keys and Bob Mann, Christian McBride, and Lewis Nash making up the rhythm section on most tracks, Ronstadt gets more than capable instrumental support from some seasoned jazz pros, and while she won't make anyone forget Ella Fitzgerald, she brings her distinctive brand of brass to "Never Will I Marry" and "Get Out of Town." Meanwhile, she eases through languid takes of "I Fall in Love Too Easily" and "Cry Me a River," the latter borrowing considerably from Julie London's defining version, but substituting melancholy for London's playful sultriness. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Linda Is Back With A Jazzy Vengeance, November 10, 2004

By	Erik North (San Gabriel, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Four years after her last album, 2000's A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, Linda Ronstadt is back with HUMMIN' TO MYSELF, which returns her to the pop/jazz standards genre that she had mined quite successfully three times in the mid-1980s with the late Nelson Riddle.

This time around, however, Linda is working with a jazz ensemble and not a large-scale orchestra, and the results give her even greater vocal flexibility now than the Nelson Riddle recordings gave her twenty years before. Working with long-time friends George Massenburg and John Boylan, Linda gives nothing less than her very best on the album's eleven tracks. The swing element is much more in evidence this time around than it had been on the Nelson Riddle albums, particularly on "Never Will I Marry" (which she had tried to record for a failed standards album all the way back in 1980), and on the Cole Porter standby "Get Out Of Town." She also takes on in very subtle fashion the Julie London classic "Cry Me A River", and gets very poignant on the album's final track, "I'll Be Seeing You."

As has been the case throughout her entire career, Linda has made it a priority to be true to herself and to the spirit of the song, and that tradition continues on HUMMIN' TO MYSELF, working with stellar musicians like Bob Mann, Alan Broadbent, Jim Horn, Peter Erskine, and others to produce the finest collection of pop and jazz standards by any pop/rock veteran out there. Even if Linda is not the most natural of jazz/pop singers in the strictest sense, she does have a natural feel for these songs; and the fact that the sound of the album has more in common with the jazz of the late 1960s than the World War II era has more than a little to do with how brilliantly HUMMIN' TO MYSELF sounds.

After nearly thirty-eight years worth of recordings, it is brilliant to know that Linda is still in fine form. HUMMIN' TO MYSELF is vigorously recommended.

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite!, December 6, 2004

By	terroh "terroh" (OH) - See all my reviews

Is there anything Linda Ronstadt cant do? Let's see, she started as a country singer, drifted into pop/rock, dabbled in New Wave and operetta, American songbook standards, Mexican/Spanish language and now jazz. What's left? Rap and Opera? There's still time, Linda! Unlike Streisand, who mostly played it safe on her last CD, Linda has never been afraid to take chances. Take the tricky arrangement on Never Will I Marry. What 60-something singer would risk tackling this, and be able to pull it off?? This is a great set, with expert back up and arrangements. My only big complaint is its too short. Maybe there's another session waiting for us down the road? Among the more sublime cuts: Never Will I Marry; Cry Me A River; Hummin to Myself; DayDream; I've Never Been In Love Before; Get Out of Town and I'll Be Seeing You (one of my favorite songs, I only wish she had repeated the verse, its too short). There isnt a bad cut on here. One could argue technically, Linda isnt a jazz singer, but with a voice like this, why split hairs? Her voice is still beautiful and as crystal clear as a bell. Exquisite.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's No Voice Like This Blessed Gift..., November 10, 2004

By	Concert Man "What's your next concert?" - See all my reviews

As a teenage boy who was smitten by Linda, as I'm sure most young guys were in the 70's, not much has changed from then until now, except for the fact I have a much better appreciation of her incredble god given talent.

I admire and respect a slew of singers from all genres of music but in my opinion, in my lifetime Linda Ronstadt is the finest singer on earth. When she hits those high notes she literally takes my breath away. And she does that quite often on this new...and absolutely wonderful album of pop standards. Her amazing voice is totally to the forefront here, backed by a wonderful band of musicians.

If you love Linda, and even if you are new to her, give this album a try. Linda is from an era when women actually had to be able to SING to get into the business..unlike today. Her musical catalog so far is nothing short of jaw dropping. She has done it all and continues to do so.

Now all that said, I hope her next album will be a return to rock.

There's no singer on earth like Linda. This album is highly recommended.