After hearing so much hype about this new singing sensation, I decided that I must check out what all the fuss is all about and decided on this collection as it has a number of my all time favorites on it!!! To my complete surprise "Over The Rainbow" left me completely cold!!! Several years ago with headphones on I heard a jazz singer for the first time sing "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" on "Self-Portrait" and the singer on this classic work is Carmen Lundy. Miss Monheit's version is so pale and tired next to Carmen's that it is pathetic!!! By the time I got to "I'm Through With Love", I was through with this tired set!!! Work's like "I'll Be Seeing You" are great by Ernestine Anderson (whose new "Love Make's The Changes" is stunning!!) and for "Blame It On My Youth" go back to the old Carmen MacRae version!!! Maybe in time it will happen for Miss Monheit, but right now she is more like the Pia Zordora of jazz singers!!! For those serious about current jazz greats check out the new works by Carmen Lundy and Ernestine Anderson-these are truly jazz greats!!!!

ON MY BIRTHDAY WAS THE RELEASE DATE OF "THE MOVIE ALBUM" BY ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SINGERS, SO I WAS THRILLED AND RUSHED OUT AND MADE THE PURCHASE!!! IN MY CAR CHANGER IT WENT AND I WAS REALLY EXPECTING FIREWORKS FROM STRIESAND DOING A WHOLE COLLECTION OF MOTION PICTURE CLASSICS. "SMILE" WAS FIRST AND A SONG THAT I FIRST HEARD AND LOVED BY JUDY GARLAND THEN LATER FEEL IN LOVE WITH THIS CLASSIC AGAIN BY THE SOULFUL TIMI YURO. I EXPECTED TO FALL IN LOVE WITH IT ALL OVER AGAIN BY BARBRA BUT HER VERSION TOTALLY LACKED ANY PASSION AND WAS SURPRISINGLY MONOTONE!!!! WHAT A SHOCK THIS WAS FOR ME AS YOU CAN GO TO MANY OF HER WORKS AND READ MY "5" STAR REVIEWS ON EVERY ONE OF THEM!! I KEPT AN OPEN MIND AND CONTINUED AND THE WHOLE THING WAS PRETTY AND PLEASANT BUT AGAIN NO THRILLS AND NO PASSION!! BARBRA CAME ON TV AFTER 911 AND DID A STIRRING AND PASSIONATE VERSION OF "YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE" WHICH BROUGHT ME TO TEARS SO I KNOW SHE STILL HAS IT IN HER WHEN SHE IS MOVED!! LA STRIESAND NEEDS TO FIND A WAY AGAIN TO BE MOVED IN THE RECORDING STUDIO BECAUSE THIS COLLECTION IS WAY BENEATH WHAT SHE IS CAPABLE OF!! I PUT OFF DOING THIS REVIEW AS I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT BUT HOPE THAT IT WILL HELP BRING SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR US FANS IN THE FUTURE!!! I REALLY LOVE BARBRA AND I AM PUTTING ON "THE BROADWAY ALBUM" AS I FINISH THIS!!!! MAY SHE GET MOVED OR INSPIRED AND GIVE US HER ULTIMATE MASTERPIECE!!! I'LL BE THE FIRST IN LINE!!!!

ARTISTIC GROWTH IS SOMETHING THAT CONTINUES WITH THIS GREAT SINGER WHO HAS NO PEER TODAY IN THE WORLD OF JAZZ!!! FROM HER STIRRING ORIGINALS TO HER DEFINITIVE RENDERINGS OF STANDARD CLASSICS, CARMEN CARRIES THE TORCH FOR PAST LEGENDS SUCH AS SARAH VAUGHAN, ELLA FITZGERALD AND CARMEN MACRAE AND IS ANOTHER ORIGINAL EQUAL TO THESE PAST GREATS!!! THIS NEW COLLECTION STARTS WITH A CARMEN ORIGINAL "IN LOVE AGAIN" AND THIS IS A CLASSICALLY EXUBERANT CELEBRATION OF NEW LOVE THAT SOUNDS LIKE A STANDARD!!!!! NEXT IS ANOTHER ORIGINAL "SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN" THAT IS HAUNTING AND FEATURES CARMEN IN A TRULY STUNNING VOCAL WITH JUST PIANO AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS BEFORE BY ANYONE. MASTER VIOLINIST REGINA CARTER JOINS CARMEN NEXT ON MICHEL LEGRAND'S "WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND" WHICH IS EDGY AND TOTALLY BRILLIANT. "HAPPINESS IS" IS A SENSUOUS CARMEN WHILE "WILD CHILD" IS WILDLY PASSIONATE! BOTH AGAIN ARE BRILLIANT ORIGINALS THAT WILL TOTALLY AMAZE YOU!!! CARMEN'S RICH VOICE IS PUT TO MAXIMUM EFFECT ON THE GERSHWIN CLASSIC "I LOVES YOU PORGY" AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD THIS DONE SO BRILLIANTLY!!! THIS SHOULD WAKE UP "THE GRAMMY BOARD" TO THIS GREAT TALENT! RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN GET EQUALLY GREAT TREATMENT BY CARMEN ON "IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING" WHICH IS SO TOTALLY ORIGINAL AND DIFFERENT HERE. THE ARRANGEMENTS ARE ALL INSPIRED AND CARMEN'S BROTHER CURTIS LUNDY IS IN THE COOKING GROUP BEHIND CARMEN AND SHARES WRITING CREDIT ON THE BRILLANT ANTHEM FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD "A GIFT OF LOVE" WHICH SHOULD ATTRACT ATTENTION IN SCHOOLS AROUND THE COUNTRY. ANOTHER ORIGINAL "VU JA DE" IS A WONDERFUL AND UNUSUAL LOVE SONG WITH A BRAZILIAN TROPICAL FEEL TO IT AND THE CLOSER IS A WONDERFUL TAKE ON DOROTHY FIELDS "MOODY'S MOOD FOR LOVE" WHICH IS A DIVINE AND SOPHISICATED VOCAL BY CARMEN. THIS LADY HAS NO EQUAL TODAY IN THE WORLD OF JAZZ AND WIDE RECOGNITION SHOULD COME WITH THIS GREAT COLLECTION!!!! GET IT AND ENJOY!!!!!!!

LIZA RELEASED THIS WONDERFUL STUDIO ALBUM THE SAME YEAR HER CLASSIC MUSICAL "NEW YORK, NEW YORK" CAME OUT SHOWING THAT IN 1977 THIS GREAT SUPERSTAR WAS TURNING OUT RICHLY VARIED PROJECTS THAT MANY OF US ARE STILL ENJOYING!!! LIZA'S VOCALS ON THIS SET FIND HER IN TOP FORM ON A WIDE VARIETY OF MATERIAL THAT GOES FROM ROCK AND SOUL TO SOFT AND SENSUAL. STEVIE WONDER'S "I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU" IS THE DEFINITIVE VERSION OF THIS CLASSIC AND IT MAKES ME FEEL THAT LIZA SHOULD REALLY DO A COMPLETE STEVIE WONDER COLLECTION AS IT WOULD BE A REAL MASTERPIECE!!! LIZA SMOLDERS AS ONLY SHE CAN ON THE SOULFUL "TAKE ME THROUGH/I COULD COME TO LOVE YOU" AND MAKES A HAUNTING CLASSIC OUT OF "A BEAUTIFUL THING"!! FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS FOR A WILD RIDE ON A VOICE UNLIKE ANY OTHER ON "TROPICAL NIGHTS/BALI-HA'I" AS LIZA SOARS TO INCREDIBLE HEIGHTS IN THIS GREAT PRODUCTION!!! EVERY SONG IS A WINNER AND IT IS A COLLECTION THAT YOU WILL GO BACK TO FOR MORE FOR YEARS TO COME!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!

Many of us fell in love with LiZa when she first started with her great debut album on Capitol Records arranged by the late and great Peter Matz. After several Capitol releases Liza moved to A&M Records and recorded a number of albums that are true classics and this collection is a nice selection from these releases. Sadly these great albums have not been released on CD so this collection is a welcomed release as Liza is in incredible vocal form throughout! Never has "The Look Of Love" been sung with so much sensual passion and "On A Slow Boat To China" is hypnotic and magical. This awesome collection is full of so many classic performances and The Beatles "For No One" is haunting and brilliant! Many songs in this great collection would have been chart hits but radio never programmed any of Liza's music so exposure was limited. I cannot think of any singer who topped this great work or even came close to the quality of these incredible vocals!! Too bad that the Grammy Awards that many a lesser talent received were not given for any of these great works!! Wonderful live performances are included from "Liza Live At The Olympia In Paris" album with "I Will Wait For You" being a sublime standout. Another classic featured is "MacArthur Park/Didn't We" with the late and great Peter Allen on piano. Liza's "New Feelin'" is a brilliant album recorded in Memphis and features an incredible "God Bless The Child" and a totally electricfying "Maybe This Time". Liza is a Legend and anyone who experiences this wonderful collection will understand why!! "Mamma may have And Papa may have But God Bless The Child who's got his own" Liza's got her own and big time!!!!

Words cannot begin to describe what a magical musical experience this classic work is! Ernestine Anderson has been recording since the fifties and her voice is like fine wine it just seems to get better with age!! This is without a doubt one of the greatest albums ever of a great singer with a small and cooking bunch of musicians who sound incredibly inspired by this Legendary Lady who should find Grammy calling this time around!!On the opening "Wonder Why", it is clear that this is going to be a set that features Jazz Singing as fine as it can possibly get!!!Another standard is given a definitive reading and "Nightlife (Ain't No Good Life)" is deeply soulful. Soft and sensual is "It's Easy To Remember" then comes the ride of a lifetime with an infectious take on the classic "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" which is given a masterful treatment by Ernestine that is unforgettable. Next is down and dirty funky blues and "So Long" and "Bargain Day" are both epic blues masterpieces that you will play over and over and wonder why this great singer isn't a household name. "This Time The Dream's On Me" is light and breezy and another totally amazing vocal as it is so refreshing and soft. Next Ernestine is light and breezy as only she can be and introduces her extraordinary group in the soulful romp "Everybody Eat's When They Come To My House" and proves that she is the hostess supreme! A masterful "Love Makes The Changes" becomes a riveting real life experience as Ernestine turns this Michel LeGrande classic inside out and is incredibly brilliant. Ernestine goes so deep inside this song that it becomes an anthem about lost love that compares to no other. "Pieces Of Dreams" is another Michel LeGrande classic that is completely haunting and a classic beauty that is breathtakingly beautiful. Closing this awesome collection is "The Party's Over" and Ernestine makes another classic all her own. This is a great singer who is incomparable and at her absolute peak. May Grammy rise to the occasion of this work and award Ernestine Anderson with a long overdue GRAMMY AWARD!!! BRAVO ERNESTINE!!!

HERE IS A SINGER WHO HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME BUT HAS NEVER BEEN GIVEN HER JUST DUE FOR SOME STRANGE REASON! ANYONE WHO LOVES GREAT'S SUCH AS ELLA, SARAH, CARMEN, DINAH, WILL LOVE THIS GIFTED SINGER AND REALIZE THAT SHE IS EQUAL TO THESE FOR CERTAIN!!! THIS GREAT COLLECTION IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES AND IS FULL OF DEFINITIVE VERSIONS OF MANY STANDARD CLASSICS WHICH ARE ALL GIVEN NEW LIFE HERE. LOOSE, SOPHISICATED AND SOULFUL IS THE GREAT OPENER "I LOVE BEING HERE WITH YOU". "'TAINT NOBODY'S BUSINESS IF I DO" IS GIVEN A GREAT BLUES WORKOUT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN QUITE EQUALED. THE DUKE'S "DON'T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE" IS SMOOTH AND SOPHISICATED AND HAS NEVER SOUNDED BETTER AND "SKYLARK" WILL TOTALLY BLOW YOU AWAY WITH IT'S SHEER BRILLIANCE AND WONDEROUS VOCAL BEAUTY. ERNESTINE IS AT HOME WITH THE BLUES AND GIVES EARTHY AND ROUSING READINGS TO "SOMEONE ELSE IS STEPPIN'IN" AND "PLEASE SEND ME SOMEBODY TO LOVE" WHICH I HAVE NOT HEARD TOPPED!! THE LEGENDARY BILLIE HOLIDAY CLASSIC "BODY AND SOUL" IS HAUNTING AND GORGEOUS AND "IN A MELLOW TONE" IS UNIQUELY DIFFERENT. MANY VERSIONS OF "TIME AFTER TIME" HAVE BEEN DONE OVER THE YEARS BUT NEVER MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THIS. THE CLOSING "NEVER MADE YOUR MOVE TOO SOON" IS A COMPLETE TOUR-DE-FORCE FOR ERNESTINE AND NOBODY COULD EVER TOP THIS OR HOPE TO EVEN COME CLOSE!!! ONCE YOU GET INTO THIS INFECTIOUS ANTHEM YOU WILL BE HITTING THE REPEAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN-IT IS A TOTALLY AWESOME NUMBER THAT CLOSES OUT A TOTALLY AWESOME COLLECTION!!! BRAVO ERNESTINE!!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!!

WHEN THIS CLASSIC SET CAME OUT, ERNESTINE APPEARED IN DECEMBER 1995 AT THE JAZZ BAKERY AND WAS EXTRAODINARY LIVE!!! HAVING SEEN ALL THE JAZZ LEGENDS IN CONCERT SUCH AS ELLA, SARAH, CARMEN, ETC. I REALIZED THAT HERE IS ANOTHER JAZZ DIVA WHO CERTAINLY BELONGS IN THE COMPANY OF THESE GREATS!! ERNESTINE CAN DO IT ALL AND ON THIS CONCERT RECORDING FROM B.B. KINGS, SHE ROCKS THE HOUSE AND GIVES A RARE PERFORMANCE OF EXTRAORDINARY RANGE AND POWER THAT MAKES THIS ONE OF THE ALL-TIME CLASSIC CONCERT RECORDINGS!! FROM THE ROUSING OPENER "SHOW ME", YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A REALLY GREAT RIDE!! NEXT IS THE MILES DAVIS CLASSIC "ALL BLUES" AND NEVER HAS THIS BEEN SUNG SO INCREDIBLY BRILLIANT. ALL THROUGH THIS AWESOME SET IS A GREAT VARIETY OF HAUNTING BALLADS, GREAT ROCKING RHYTHM NUMBERS, AND EVEN THE MOTOWN CLASSIC "REACH OUT (I'LL BE THERE) WHICH BRINGS THE HOUSE DOWN ! ERNESTINE IS AT THE PEAK OF HER POWERS ON THE CLASSIC "THRILL IS GONE" AND MAKES THIS HER OWN WITH A TOTALLY STUNNING PERFORMANCE. ANOTHER DEFINITIVE PERFORMANCE IN A NIGHT FULL OF THEM IS THE CLOSER "IT HURTS TO BE IN LOVE". THIS IS A ROCKING VERSION WITH ERNESTINE COMPLETELY LOOSE AND SOULFUL! DON'T MISS THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THIS TRULY AWESOME SINGER AT HER PEAK IN A CLASSIC CONCERT RECORDING THAT IS ONE OF THE BEST EVER!!!!!!! YOU WILL PLAY THIS ONE FOR YEARS TO COME!!!

WHEN THIS GORGEOUS ALBUM CAME OUT IN THE MID-SEVENTIES, IT WAS SUCH A RELIEF AFTER BARBRA'S MISFIRE "BUTTERFLY". FROM THE HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL OPENER "LAZY AFTERNOON" TO THE PASSIONATE CLOSER "WIDESCREEN", YOU KNOW THAT BARBRA IS GOING TO GIVE US ANOTHER EXPERIENCE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY THE ULTIMATE!!! SELDOM DOES THE COMBINATION OF A SINGER AND THE SONG BECOME SUCH A SOUL-DEEP EXPERIENCE THAT IT BRINGS TEARS TO YOUR EYES LIKE "MY FATHER'S SONG" DOES!!! NEXT IS THE DEEP AND PENSIVE "BY THE WAY" THEN OFF TO MOTOWN WITH THE UPBEAT "SHAKE ME,WAKE ME" WHICH BARBRA HAS ALOT OF FUN THEN BACK TO A PENSIVE AND SENTIMENTAL "I NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD". THE COMBINATION OF RUPERT HOLMES AND BARBRA ARE TOTALLY WINNING AS THE BEAUTIFUL AND HAUNTING "LETTERS THAT CROSS IN THE MAIL" SHOW. A SUPERB DEFINITIVE VERSION OF STEVIE WONDER'S "YOU AND I" MAKES YOU WISH THAT BARBRA WOULD DO A COMPLETE STEVIE WONDER COLLECTION!!!! CLASSIC TORCH SONGS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BARBRA'S FORTE AND NEVER HAS SHE BEEN MORE ELECTFIFYING THAN SHE IS ON "MOANIN' LOW". THIS ONE IS A REAL STREISAND CLASSIC!!! SOFT AND SOULFUL IS HER BEAUTIFUL "A CHILD IS BORN" AND HER VOCAL BEAUTY REALLY SHINES ON THIS EVERGREEN!!! SOME TWENTY-FIVE PLUS YEARS LATER THIS IS PROBABLY THE STRONGEST OF ALL HER CLASSICS FROM THAT PERIOD AS IT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME AND DOES NOT COME ACROSS DATED. STREISAND'S VOICE IS TIMELESS IN IT'S BEAUTY AND PASSION AND THIS IS A CLASSIC NOT TO BE MISSED BY ANYONE WHO ENJOY'S A GREAT SINGER IN TOP FORM ON A TOTALLY AVENTURESOME PACKAGE!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I FIND IT TOTALLY AMAZING THAT ARETHA FRANKLIN'S NEW RELEASE IS HER BEST SINCE THE 60'S BUT NOT SURPRISING AFTER RECENTLY SEEING HER ON A PBS SPECTACULAR WHERE HER AWESOME PERFORMANCE OF "AT LAST" WITH LOU RAWLS BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN!!!! I HAVE THE FEELING THAT ARETHA WENT IN THE STUDIO THIS TIME AND DID THINGS HER WAY AND SHE HAS NEVER SOUNDED SO LOOSE AND FREE IN A RECORDING-SHE IS REALLY TOTALLY INFECTIOUS!! I LOVE THE WAY SHE BRAKES INTO SCATS IN "WONDERFUL" AND HER BALLADS LIKE THE SELF-PENNED "YOU ARE MY JOY" ARE COMPLETELY GEORGEOUS!!!! THIS COMPLETE COLLECTION HAS A REALLY GREAT FLOW TO IT AND ARETHA IS IN SUPERB VOICE ON ALL! ARETHA GRACES US WITH A GOSPEL CLASSIC IN THIS WONDEROUS COLLECTION AND "GOOD NEWS" HAS TO BE ONE OF HER ALL TIME BEST!!!! IF THE RADIO PROGRAMMERS WOULD LOOSEN UP LIKE ARETHA HAS ON THIS CLASSIC SET, WE WILL SEE NUMEROUS HIT'S AND AWARDS AND THEY WILL BE WELL DESERVED!!!! BRAVO!!!!!!!!