Editorial Review

Sanitize Tom Waits's vocal cords, take some of the rasp out of Dr. John's, put some muscle into Bobby Caldwell's, combine them and you'll have an approximation of the quality of Steve Tyrell's voice. Like his popular 1999 debut, Read more

Reviews (39)

Steve Tyrell's Standard Time
I love the sound of Steve Tyrell's voice. I do think his better CD was This Girls in Love with You, but I plan to enjoy this CD too. I have just purchased the Disney CD and I like it better.

A Jazzy Delight
Steve Tyrell is a stylish, unique singer with a gravelly, charming voice, and he delivers a song in an easy, comfortable manner; there is always a touch of humor one can sense, and a merry twinkle to the interpretation. In this aspect Tyrell is a little like singer/songwriter Johnny Mercer, but perhaps their greatest similarity is that they are both one-of-a-kind talents. The songs are a great collection, standards with heavenly melodies and terrific lyrics that take one back to a simpler time; they also lend themselves well to the jazzy, big band arrangements in this recording, giving the musicians some leeway to express their artistry.
An Evening With Steve Tyrell. . . At The Starlight Bowl
"Standards don't have expiration dates."~ Steve Tyrell
Read more

Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Jazz Music    3. Jazz-Pop    4. Pop    5. Standards    6. Vocal    7. Vocal Pop   

Editorial Review

On her fourth album, Read more

Reviews (60)

if you were ever going to buy a CD for just one song...
This one is well worth it just for the cover of "Honeysuckle Rose". I can't give it a just description, but her phrasing is joyously playful, her range and pitch are both so impressive, and the overall effect, with a very tight band, brings a smile of pure delight to my face every time I listen to it.While the rest of the CD is not quite as much fun, nearly every cut is pleasure to listen to.The only cuts I tend to skip over are "Bill" (kinda boring) and "Dancing in the Dark" (too operatic to fit with the rest of the CD).

Wanna fall in love?
Apparently, being an incredibly talented singer is too boring for those reared on novelty acts and bizarre, marginal voices.Perhaps if she had the voice of a drunken demon like Macy Gray or the Drano throat of Rod Stewart or the often (and strangely) barely audible whispers of the ever-present Diana Krall, then such mediocrity would satisfy some of the other reviewers here who seem to thrive on that.Does matchless beauty so threaten mere mortals that they lose the ability to even recognize the greatness before them?Judging from her work so far, Ms. Monheit is destined for legendary status.Avedon would take her picture.Warhol would paint her.The unequalled gift of this angel will eventually silence her petty detractors.
3 STARS ONLY BECAUSE I ONLY LIKED ONE SONG.
The only song that I really liked on this cd was "I won't dance".She sang this song with the fantastic Michael Buble.If they had the video of Jane Monheit and Michael Buble singing, "I won't dance", I would definitely buy it.If you have seen the video, it is really cute and they are really flirty together.If you haven't seen it, you could find it at www.janemonheit.com.The other songs are boring. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Popular Song    2. Contemporary Jazz    3. Jazz    4. Pop    5. Standards    6. Vocal Jazz   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (12)

Football is Funny
I bought this CD for the football story. Since superbowl time was upon us, I wanted to share this memory of my childhood with my two sons.I remember my mother and I listening to Andy's story of a hillbilly watching his first football game and laughing hysterically.After I ordered this CD, I worried that my two sons (ages 15 and 11) would think it was lame.However, it did not disappoint; both boys laughed as I did and I still find them imitating Andy.
Disapointing
I do not understand why it is called "What It Was, Was Football (Part 1 and 2).This does not have all of the origial version, so how can it be Part 1 and 2?I should have listened to it first and I sure would not have purchased it.Live and learn.

Made me laugh when as a little girl and makes me laugh now!
When I was a little girl, my dad played this on the record player. It was hilarious to me then and whenever I thought of it, I laughed! Today, the record probably lives in the attic of my parents house--and they no longer have a record player. Now that I am 50 years old, it has become a classic. I am enjoying sharing it with my family and friends who agree that it is of "classic comedy" status! The football story and Romeo and Juliet are my favorites! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comedy    2. Pop    3. Sketch Comedy    4. Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows    5. Spoken Word Comedy    6. Traditional Pop    7. Vocal Pop   

Reviews (8)

happy xams music!
this is a wonderful album, for everyone.i don't really care for the 2nd cd, but albsolutly love the 1st one.of course i still prefer old timers, being raised on their vinyls!

I Love This CD I even listen to it in the car during the holidays.
i listen to this cd on repeat throughout the holidays because it is so good. I would recommend it to anyone...

Best Christmas CD Ever
I purchased this CD when it first came out in 1998. I was so exicted to see that it was still available in 2003. I have worn mine out. This is absolutely the best Christmas CD around. The songs range from classics to church hymns. No one can sing Santa Baby like Eartha Kitt. It's the best rendition of Frosty the Snowman I ever heard. I suggest you buy two in case yours gets scratched up like mine. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Ballads    3. Christmas    4. Christmas / Chanukkah    5. Christmas Music    6. Club/Dance    7. Contemporary Jazz    8. Crossover Jazz    9. Funk    10. Fusion    11. Holiday    12. Jazz-Funk    13. Jazz-Pop    14. Pop    15. Post-Bop    16. R&B    17. Soft Rock    18. Standards    19. Swing    20. Traditional Pop   

Editorial Review

Including Sinatra's finest recordings from the most consistently accomplished era of his career, Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (29)

The Best
Since I don't want to sound like a broken record (how's that for a phrase made obsolescent by the advent of compact disks?) and repeat the superlatives stated by others, I'll keep this brief. This is by far my favorite CD I own. This music is so sensational, just too marvelous for words. If you are not a fan or all you are familiar with is either the latter-year material when his voice started to go or the early years before he developed his trademark style and sound, do yourself a favor and pick up this collection. His voice was in peak form, the arrangements are stellar and the selection is unsurpassable. The Voice recorded more than 1,500 songs, many of them multiple times, so this seventy-five song set is anything but comprehensive. However, it is an excellent choice if you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase the individual studio recordings. His recordings of standards here are not only the best versions he himself recorded, they are the best versions recorded by anyone. The sound quality is also superb, which is not surprising given the fact that, by the time of these recordings, Sinatra had already been using nothing but the best studio equipment for years. Your life is not complete without Frank Sinatra.

a Ring a Ding Ding
I thoroughly enjoy this collection. It really ranges from the more mellow side of Frank to the the swinging songster that we all love. The audio quality is superb, and really shines on a high performance sound system. I also love the commentary booklet that comes with it. The stories and pictures from his Rat Pack buddies are fabulous. It comes through as a total package that's well put together. Well worth the money for a piece of music history that will never fade.

The best years of Sinatra's singing career...
Frank Sinatra, The Capitol Years is the most wonderful compilation of songs from an incomparable era in the career of Frank Sinatra. His choice of music, the arrangements, his voice, style and delivery are all second to none. The ballads in particular are sweet and soulful; you get the feeling Frank meant every word. A "must have" for Sinatra lovers or anyone who loves great music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals    4. Popular Music    5. Standards    6. Swing    7. Traditional Pop    8. Vocal    9. Vocal Jazz    10. Vocal Pop   

Editorial Review

A few tracks into this highly anticipated Barbra Streisand release and the title starts to make sense.Read more

Features

• DualDisc

Reviews (154)

Please Stop
This has to be one of the worst productions in the history of music.
Another great for Barry and Barbra
I am, of course, a huge BeeGees fan as well as Barbra Streisand. This latest work is fantastic, and it displays the prolific song writing talent of Barry Gibb. Their voices blend together so perfectly, it is truly a pleasure!!

Absolutely fantastic
words like "superb" , "fantastic", "gorgeous" and so on appear to be such weak terms to describe it. it is an album we have been waiting from barbra and barry for the past two decades and they did not disappoint us at all. It is a big catch. I do recommend it to all music lovers and i hope all of them ill get the essence of its music and the deep concepts inherent in the words. One of the most important features of the album which makes it quite outstanding is the fact that although there are more than 5 different styles throughout the album, it does not lose its integrity and uniqueness. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals    4. Soft Rock    5. United States of America    6. Vocal   

Editorial Review

Cheated out of playing nightclub canary Sally Bowles on Broadway in director Hal Price's Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (30)

A Different Interpretation of Cabaret
It really bothered me that a review below stated that Liza Minnelli wasn't Sally Bowles and that the song "Cabaret" is about Sally being upset that she lost her true love and that its about Sally coming to the realization that she is stuck in the awful cabaret.
Love this album
Just got a new CD player for car and this is one of the first albums I had to have on CD. Now all I need is "Two Ladies".

Viva La Diva
After reading all of the reviews where everyone blasts Liza Minnelli, and how this was a vehicle for her talents...I think they forget that she was originally desired for the role of Sally Bowles in the first place, and was considered too American. Yes, one cannot deny this is Judy Garland's daughter. Every actor/actress has one or two roles that define perfection...and in this case (as much as I hate to admit) this is Liza's. Ripping apart the "love triangle" and comparing it to the broadway musical, you are forgetting to the heart of this production in the first place: the stories written by Christopher Isherwood, and that is exactly what Fosse did in his desire to return to the original inspiration. Sexuality couldn't be mentioned in 1966 as something realistic or even a possibility. But blooming homosexuality/bisexuality was VERY prelevent in Weimar Berlin (it is even alluded to in the silent German classic: Pandora's Box, with Louise Brooks, which has modern cinema's first lesbian and remember, in Frankfurt there was a center for Studies on Human Sexuality that as early as 1925 said that homosexuality was natural...one of the first places to be destroyed by fascism and Hitler) and to me, that is why the story line and these songs work...it is realistic and also very true to Isherwood's stories. So if anything, blame the stage musical for glossing over the truth...not the film. Obvious critics also blast the cutting out of a lot of the original tracks, which again works because the story line has changed. Why include tracks of Sally's landlady singing about her love for a Jewish fruit vendor if it isn't even alluded to in the film?
Read more

Subjects:  1. Music Theater    2. Musical Theater    3. Musicals    4. Original Score    5. Pop    6. Show Tunes    7. Soundtrack    8. Soundtracks & Film Scores    9. Traditional Pop   

Editorial Review

"If you wanna hear me sing serious, buy an album," Dean Martin says early in this 70-minute disc, underlining his point by deliberately mangling the last word's pronunciation. Issued to catch the wave of Steven Soderbergh's remake of the Pack's romp, Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (45)

How can you go wrong?
This is the RATPACK on the home turf Las Vegas with a nice orchestra INCLUDING strings which add especially on the ballads.
It's your world Frank, I'm just livin' in it."
LIVE AT THE SANDS is The Rat Pack on their home turf---The Sands Hotel, Las Vegas Nevada, 1963. Frank, Dean and Sammy go to town with a collection of old standards and new numbers with a twist.
Enjoyable CD!
This CD is a great addition for any fan of the Rat Pack. It has wonderful songs and hilarious dialogue between all three of the Rat Pack guys. In fact, you would probably enjoy it and laugh along even if you aren't into the Rat Pack! I recommend this CD. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals    3. Popular Music    4. Traditional Pop    5. V/a Compilations    6. Vocal Collections   

Reviews (5)

a real winner
wonderful collection- good clear sound- you can't go wrong with this collection-can't wait for Vol. 2

Great Records Of The Decade: 40's Hits, Vol. 1
Great. I love for the classsroom.

Great Records of the Decade:40's Hits, Vol. 1
This is music that even my high school class loves.It is fun and the kids identify with the well done music from years gone past.Fun!!!One of my kids stole my first one!LOL!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 40's    2. American Popular Song    3. Ballads    4. Nostalgia Collections    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Show Tunes    9. Standards    10. Swing    11. Tin Pan Alley Pop    12. Traditional Country    13. Traditional Pop    14. Vocal    15. Vocal Jazz    16. Vocal Pop    17. Western Swing   

Reviews (2)

When I Fall in Love
Excellent album. It is the ultimate Lettermen record made. The cd is clear, you can hear all of the nuances in the harmony that made them so great.

60's Music that sounds as good today as it did 30 years ago
In the midst of all the 60's noise and light, The Lettermen produced a string of great hit singles and albums that sound as good, if not better, today as they did when they were originally released.The originalLettermen, Bob Engeman, Tony Butala and Jim Pike, had a sound that seemedto flow effortlessly from the heart.This CD contains a beautiful crosssection of their many different styles, from solos to group harmonies. While a great number of their single hits are not included here, there aregreat album cuts, such as "Moments to Remember" and"Graduation Day."Read more

Subjects:  1. Oldies    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals    4. Traditional Pop    5. Vocal Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (4)

Communicating emotion with and without words
This record can help you to feel emotion .
Spare and Elegant
Tony doesn't aim for the heart of a melody. That's his genious. He plays at the edges, sometimes almost atonally, like a jazz riff. But he leads the listener on a journey through the song, aware of all the places he could take it. "You Must Believe in Spring" is one such journey sung with such conviction and soul that it is breathtaking. Bill evans is equally spare and elegant, never overwhelming the song with style. The songs stand on their own like lonely monuments.

Solid
Nowhere to go with criticism here. All right down the pipe, masterful, subtle, and deeply felt. Two guys, and anything more could only be superfluous. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Vocal   

Editorial Review

Getting the two most personable voices in jazz to sing an hour's worth of George Gershwin's opera Read more

Reviews (20)

once-in-a-lifetime greatness
Two thousand five hundred musicians have recorded "Summertime" --- it's a classic. (I bet most Americans can name Janis Joplin and no other singer.)As for "Porgy and Bess," the folk opera from which "Summertime" springs, it's such a classic that it's hard to believe anyone ever had a harsh word to say about it.
We love this album
We hope they will someday bring this beautiful story back to the stage

Simply great
The fusion between the great two voices and the orchestra is just brilliant. Very good brass and violins that accompany Fitzeralds and Armstrongs magic voices leaves you with your mouth open.
Read more

Subjects:  1. American 20th/21st Century Opera    2. Ballads    3. Jazz    4. Jazz Music    5. Jazz Vocals    6. Opera    7. Pop    8. Standards    9. Swing    10. Traditional Pop    11. Vocal Jazz   

Editorial Review

She's been eclipsed by a generation of newfangled power divas, but Babs still has it--superior repertoire in the Read more

Reviews (78)

Barbara does Inspiration
'Higher Ground' by Barbra Streisand is, in many ways, very typical of a long string of Streisand albums done to capitalize on a popular theme or collaborator. That does not make this a weak album. In fact, I consider it one of her stronger albums of the last few years, especially when compared to her recent live issues and treatments of Broadway numbers.
Another classic album by the legendary classical Barbra!
12 new amazing recordings by this huge voice.
Gag Me With a Spoon!
Streisand is spiritual? That is the biggest laugh yet!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals    4. Popular Music    5. Show Tunes    6. Vocal   

Editorial Review

As conceived by Stephen Sondheim and cocreator James Lapine (following their Pulitzer Prize-winning Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (100)

Gleason, Zien, Peters, Sondheim, Lapine... What could be better?
With an all-star cast and production team, it's no wonder that this show is one of the best ever written.When you combine the endless talents of the wonderful Joanna Gleason with the ridiculously incredible music of Stephen Sondheim, the result is a good year at the Tonys.Gleason's Baker's Wife, for which she won the Tony, is touching, heartbreaking, relatable, witty, smart and hilarious, not to mention the incredible vocals.Chip Zien and Gleason are a match made in heaven and play off of eachother extremely well in such tracks as "I Guess This Is Goodbye/Maybe They're Magic" and "It Takes Two".Bernadette Peters, with the help of the rest of the outstanding cast, relays an extremely powerful message, and she does it with, as usual, amazing vocals.This Sondheim-Lapine musical is talent at it's best.
One of the Best!
Sondheim's "Into the Woods" is a true classic in every sense of the word. The music and lyrics are wonderful and invetive, and this cast recording lives up to it all. This recording has one of the best ensemble casts I have heard. The best performances IMO come from Robert Westenberg, Johanna Gleason, and of course Bernedette Peters who was robbed of a Tony nod for her awesome performance as the witch. My favorite numbers are Prolouge, Hello Little Girl, Agony, Giants in the Sky, Moments in the Woods, No One is Alone, and Finale. Make sure to get a hold of the wonderful video reocording of this show with the original cast as well!

Fun, Accessable Songs
In the middle of the late 80s "British Invasion" ("Le Miz", "Phantom") came Stephen Sondheim's brilliant "Into The Woods", a look at fairy tales and what happens after "happily ever after".Although it lost to "Phantom" for Best Musical, it did pick up Best Score & Actress (Joanna Gleason).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Musicals    3. Original Cast Recordings    4. Pop    5. Show Tunes    6. Showtunes / B'way    7. Soundtrack   

Editorial Review

Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (92)

BUY this one, NOT the Madonna version
This is a great Broadway soundtrack.Mandy Patinkin has an amazing voice, and the singing is amazing.Don't bother with the pathetic movie version.

MANDY PATINKEN IS BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!
OMG! Who knew he could sing?? High Flying adored is one of the best (most beautiful) songs on the album! I can't imagine how people can say Antonio Bandaras is better, just because he has a Spanish accent (i haven't seen the movie, though). I also LOVE LuPone in Rainbow High! Especially this part:
Evita - Broadway Cast
This is a wonderful adaptation of Evita.Patti Lupone's voice is extraordinary and I also enjoy Mandy Patinkin as Che Guevara.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Original Cast Recordings    3. Pop    4. Show Tunes    5. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

The Sinatra who could more than convincingly offer that he had a crush on you is represented by this sweetly packaged 22-track collection. Culled mostly from the early Reprise years (with a four-cut sample of Capitol performances), Read more

Reviews (21)

Greatest Love Songs
This compilation is done very well. I like the song selections in the manner that are chosen, Especially "In the Blue of Evening", "Don't Take Your Love Away from Me","The Very Thought of You", "Come Rain or Come Shine", these are absolute gems.
not what I expected
I didn't really feel like some of the songs were really love songs.A lot of these songs I had not even heard before.

Musical Treasure Of A Lifetime
With twenty-two greatest love songs of all-time interpreted by the greatest singing icon, the legendary, the one and only Mr. Frank Sinatra, you can never go wrong with this CD.It's a musical treasure of a lifetime.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop    3. Popular Music    4. Traditional Pop    5. Vocal   

Editorial Review

The manipulation of classic jazz tracks has been part of DJ club culturesince the '80s, as artists have continually scratched, looped, and sampled beatsand phrases. Read more

Reviews (66)

Exceptional Lounge!
A must have for your collection: From Tricky's FUNKINESS with Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit To the LAID BACK COOLNESS of Sarah Vaughn's SummerTime remix by UFO. You will enjoy the sounds... Please take note that if you are a top-40 junky these tunes are probably NOT for you.

Worst of the series
I have all three of the "Verve Remixed" CDs. This one is the worst. On this CD, I just cannot see the point of mangling these old recordings. I found no compelling rhythms at all.
Brilliantly Groovy and Funky !
Not many CD's make you heart skip a beat the moment you listen to them. This is definitely one of those rare finds. And this is why:
Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Broken Beat    3. Club/Dance    4. Downtempo    5. Electronica    6. Garage/House    7. House    8. Jazz    9. Jazz Collections    10. Jazz-House    11. Pop    12. Progressive House    13. Standards    14. Traditional Pop    15. Trip-Hop    16. Vocal Jazz   

Editorial Review

The original 1950 production of this classic played the mythical Damon Runyon world of New York City gamblers a lot straighter than the 1992 Broadway revival did. In fact, 1950 reviewers called this the "Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (24)

One of the greats
Guys and Dolls is one of the the greatest of all Broadway musicals, and this recording is the best evidence of why that's so. Starting with the classic Damon Runyon stories, Frank Loesser wrote songs that really suited these characters, and the performances on this recording bring these characters to life in a way that contemporary revivials don't.