Simple House

Track Listings

1. Simple House

2. Talk About Love

3. Look Me in the Eye

4. All I Ever Wanted

5. Steps of Faith

6. I Will Not Lay Down

7. Never Be an Angel

8. Scatter These Thieves

9. Strangest Things

10. You Remain Unchanged

Tracks:

Ave Verum Corpus, K.618 - Adapted by Chris Hazell
Deep River - Arranged by Chris Hazell
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
I'll Walk Beside You - Arranged by Chris Hazell
Stabat Mater
Still, Still, Still Weils Kindlein Schlafen Will
Simple Gifts - Arranged by Chris Hazell
How Great Thou Art
Panis Angelicus - Arranged by Chris Hazell
Bless This House - Arranged by Chris Hazell
Ave Verum Corpus
Cavatina - Arranged by Chris Hazell
The Rose
Amazing Grace - Arranged by Chris Hazell
God's Mercy
Morning Has Broken - Arranged by Chris Hazell
Nearer My God To Thee - Arranged by Chris Hazell
Ave Maria
Send In The Clowns - Arranged by Jonathan Tunick
God Will Be With You

Amazon.com

Everything about Bryn Terfel is over-life-size: his physique, his personality, his breath-control, and of course his extraordinarily beautiful voice. This recording displays his stunning vocalism and versatility to full advantage, but its title belies its content. Alhough it does include some simple pieces, the execution is fussy, overdone, and calculated for maximum external effect. The program ranges from Mozart, Pergolesi and pseudo-Bach to Sondheim in arrangements that are pure Hollywood, complete with throbbing strings and rolling drums, often destroying the spirit as well as the letter of the original compositions. It begins with Mozart's heavenly "Ave verum" arranged for baritone solo and chorus, frustratingly cut off after a few phrases (another setting of the same text by Karl Jenkins, written for Terfel, is more satisfying, being complete and original). The splendid baritone Simon Keenlyside joins him here as well as in the opening number of Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater;" originally for soprano and alto, this must be the baritones' revenge on female singers who usurp songs written for men, like Schubert's and Schumann's cycles. Franck's "Panis angelicus" also inexplicably becomes a duet; unfortunately, Terfel's and tenor Aled Jones' voices do not match. Bach-Gounod's popular "Ave Maria" is all swells and exaggerations. The rest of the program consists of folksongs, hymns, show and film tunes, inflated to operatic proportions and generally ending in a fade-out or a flourish. Even the title song is anything but simple. This record is not for purists who like their music performed the way the composer wrote it, but aficionados of great singing will love it. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Bryn Terfel's beautiful voice........2007-05-13

Bryn Terfel has a beautiful voice. Listening to him is very pleasant and definitely something to look forward to. I read a review saying he would replace tenor Pavroti. However, I believe that Mr. Terfel is a Baritone and not a Tenor. That does not detract from the fact that he should be considered one of the world's top male singers. His voice is truly impressive. This CD by Bryn Terfel is one from our collection that is outstanding and a favorite.

Why do people think this guy can sing??.......2007-04-27

Sorry, I think this guy is one of the most overrated singers out there today. He always sounds like he is singing holding his nose shut. VERY nasal sounding.

If you want to listen to an incredibly beautiful voice, buy one of Josh Groban's CD's--you won't regret it! He has the voice of the century!

Relaxing.......2007-02-03

Excellent selection of music. It covers many different types. My wife likes being able to hear the words with out instruments drowning out the vocals. I find it relaxing and many of the songs are familiar and very well done.

Bryn Terfel's Simple Gifts.......2006-02-25

Simply superb. I don't know what our local (Wash DC) paper was talking about when they said Deep River was the weakest link. I was enthralled from beginning to end. I have had the pleasure of hearing Bryn Terfel live in recital at the Kennedy Center. I can assure you that his voice has only improved with age. He was wonderful then and is spectacular now!

A Heartfelt Offering Reminiscent of An Earlier Era.......2006-02-15

Bryn Terfel harkens back to earlier American operatic stars such as Richard Tucker and Robert Merrill who crossed grenres to satisfy their unquenchable need to sing any and all songs that moved them to an appreciative public. These great singers all had their origins singing sacred music from their respective religions and learned to lay their considerable talents before the altar of the simple inspirational song.

This recording is wonderful on many levels. The selections are an unusual mixture of classical sacred music, spirituals, hymns, Lieder, Austrian Christmas and Gaelic songs, musical numbers and movie theme songs harmoniously combined to touch the soul of the listener in a gentle ebb and flow of devotion, intensity and tenderness. All of these songs are beautiful in and of themselves and in his hands, we experience them anew.

Bryn Terfel sings with the commitment necessary to make the awesome challenge of simplicity look easy. To my way of thinking, he is the most communicative and articulate singer today, bar none. He is a poet who savors the sound, feeling and meaning of each and every word and marries it uniquely and faithfully to the music. He transports the listener into the life of a song and transfixes us each and every moment. His enormous talent is not overwhelming or distractive and is inextricably and wholly intertwined with the music. This is greatness and it is very, very rare today.

I like the inclusion of the choir in several of the numbers as it reflects on the nature and context of the songs. I am less fond of the selections with the guest soloists as I feel they do not match his ability to "get inside" a song. The orchestra and orchestations are sensitive and enhancing.

This recording is simply wonderful and should have a broad appeal. It will move and inspire the believer, satisfy and fulfill the otherwise spiritual, calm the troubled and renew a flagging soul.

Average customer rating:

Great singing
Only Roberta

Leonard Bernstein :Songs

Manufacturer: Etcetera
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Songs by Roger Quilter
Just-Spring: Art Songs of John Duke
Mozart: Songs
Susan Graham - Songs of Ned Rorem
Silent Noon

ASIN: B0000000NK
Release Date: 1994-04-13

Tracks:

I Hate Music! (A Cycle Of Five Kid Songs): My Name Is Barbara
I Hate Music! (A Cycle Of Five Kid Songs): Jupiter Has Seven Moons
I Hate Music! (A Cycle Of Five Kid Songs): I Hate Music!
I Hate Music! (A Cycle Of Five Kid Songs): A Big Indian And A Little Indian
I Hate Music! (A Cycle Of Five Kid Songs): I'm A Person Too
La Bonne Cuisine (From 'La Bonne Cuisine Francaise' ): Plum Pudding
La Bonne Cuisine (From 'La Bonne Cuisine Francaise' ): Queues De Boef
La Bonne Cuisine (From 'La Bonne Cuisine Francaise' ): Tavouk Gueuksis
La Bonne Cuisine (From 'La Bonne Cuisine Francaise' ): Civet A Toute Vitesse
La Bonne Cuisine (English Version): Plum Pudding
La Bonne Cuisine (English Version): Ox-Tails
La Bonne Cuisine (English Version): Tavouk Gueunksis
La Bonne Cuisine (English Version): Rabbit At Top Speed
Two Love Songs: Extinguish My Eyes
Two Love Songs: When My Soul Touches Yours
So Pretty
Piccola Ser
Silhouette (Galilee)
Mass: A Simple Song
Mass: I Go On
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Take Care Of This House
Candide: It Must Be So
Candide: Candide's Lament
Peter Pan: My House
Peter Pan: Peter, Peter
Peter Pan: Who Am I?
Peter Pan: Never-Land

Customer Reviews:

Great singing.......2006-03-01

Roberta Alexander is stunning in these songs of Bernstein. Her voice simply shimmers. Really beautiful.

Only Roberta.......2003-12-02

Roberta Alexander is right on top of this recording. She has a beautiful and strong voice, but more importantly, she has perfect command of the music and idiom of these and Ives' songs. The emotional range of the songs is very wide, ranging from playful to thoughtful to sorrowful but she makes all of them sound very natural.

The Five Kid Songs express the imagination of a small child (Jupiter has seven moons, or is it nine? Saturn has a million billion trillion sixty-nine) and it would be very easy to perform them in a childish way, talking down as many adults do - the composer expressly stated that they should not be performed this way and in fact Alexander sings them with a perfectly natural innocence. La Bonne Cuisine is sung with a strong drive, and although it's hard to imagine what anyone should do with excerpts from a cooking book it's still compelling music. The other songs are also nice but not as memorable - as for the songs from Candide, they are beautiful but get the complete recording on Deutsche Grammophon, directed by Bernstein himself (there are two; I prefer the live version, ASIN B000001GD2).

Tan Crone does more than just provide a background; she adds her own interpretation on piano to add even more feeling to the music.

Customer Reviews:

Don't underestimate those "unknown" Operettas!!.......2005-07-07

This is, as far as I know - the only way of buying the "official" recordings of "The Grand Duke" and "Utopia" - which seem to be otherwise out of print!! Several of the others are not that easy to get either.

In any case - most people getting this set will already have the Mikado, and very probably Pirates and Pinafore for that matter, so you're really getting it for the others.

So just for the record - someone has to say this!

The Mikado is (of course) a wonderful piece, but it enjoys its long running status as the most successful of all the G&S operettas very largely for "extra-musical" reasons. It is visually so wonderful, with all those great authentic costumes, and the whole idea of satirising English institutions by pretending they are Japanese is of course brilliantly funny.

Again, Pirates and Pinafore enjoy a lot of their acclaim simply because we have heard them so often. And at least part of the initial success of these (admittedly very funny and entertaining) pieces was the vogue for "nautical drama" on the popular Victorian stage.

Iolanthe, Ruddigore, and Yoemen are all MUCH stronger musically than any of what another reviewer here keeps calling the "trilogy". Patience, Princess Ida, and the Gondoliers all excel either "nautical" operetta, at least musically, although not, perhaps, the Mikado. And I have had a lot of fun listening to my recording of the Sorcerer - although I think most at least of the other G&S operettas are even more interesting.

As for "Trial by Jury" it is really another thing altogether - but in its kind the most perfect thing either Gilbert or Sullivan had anything to do with!

This leaves Utopia and the Grand Duke.

Both of these were produced after the long running friendship between G&S had soured, and they have been sadly neglected ever since. Utopia is none the less both musically beautiful and very funny, and well worth taking an effort to come to grips with. The main point of the satire (which many commentators and reviewers seem to miss) is the way that the English language and British (especially English) institutions were being adopted, often rather uncritically, by countries around the world (most, but not all, of them members of the British Empire, of course). India is perhaps the country Gilbert had most in mind, but you could set it in any of a dozen other countries. The residual problems this has left in the post-colonial world ensure that this work is still far from dated. In some ways this operetta is about globalisation! What could possibly be LESS dated than that!

The Grand Duke, on the other hand, is a bit of an odd man out - I suppose you still have to say it is the weakest of all the G&S efforts. It's the ONLY one that didn't score a very respectable run on its first outing. Surprisingly, however, if an attempt is made to duplicate the musical and (especially) dialogue cuts that G&S would have done themselves if they had not by this time been at each other's throats all the time, a very entertaining piece can be made of it. I was very agreeably surprised by the Ohio Light Opera recording, which does just that - and I am coming round to the idea that the only thing really wrong with the Duke is that it is too long.

ANYWAY:

For all people (especially callow youth) who remain convinced that G&S only wrote three operettas worth listening to - all I can say is, buy this set, and give the lesser known ones a chance. Make sure you have a libretto in your hands as you listen, of course. It may even just need a single hearing in some cases, but otherwise, be patient. In the meantime, you really cannot have any conception of what you are missing.

A few details.......2004-03-28

This 24-CD album consists of 12 plastic cases, each with a thin booklet giving background and plot summaries for the works on its 2 enclosed CD's. Most of the album consists of 15 operettas, 2 of which (Cox and Box, The Zoo) have texts not by Gilbert and 7 of which (The Sorcerer, Princess Ida, The Mikado, Ruddigore, Yeomen of the Guard, Utopia Limited, The Grand Duke) omit most of the spoken dialogue. Before listening to any of these operettas that you don't know well, you'll want to obtain a copy of its text so you can read along and not miss any of the words or the wit.

Wonderful set, if a little inconsistent at times........2003-07-07

If you thought that the Sargent set of G&S opera recordings was gargantum enough, then this D'Oyly Carte cycle is even more gargantum. Although it is more expensive (because of the four extra operas that the Sargent cycle did not include), this complete 24-CD set is like a joy to behold. There is a debate as to whether this is better than the Sargent cycle, but I like to think that this is a delight from first disc to last, because of the idiomatic sense of polish that these recordings seem to have, and are given a life that makes them able to breathe well. This is all thanks to Isidore Godfrey and Royston Nash's conducting. I know that the performances may not be entirely consistent (this is evident when you compare the performance and recording quality of Mikado and Pirates with those of Gondoliers and Pinafore), but this is only a matter of personal preference. The 1960s performances were given more sumptuous and well-detailed recordings than the 1970s recordings, made when the performing style was not so fresh. But anyway, I still think that this is definitely a good buy for anyone who loves G&S. Even with the consistency of Sargent's cheaper EMI set, I would still say: do go ahead to invest in the set because of the liveliness and style in this complete G&S cycle that Sargent never (hardly ever) tackles. The only thing is: I would also like to suggest complementing it with the 1957 Decca D'Oyly Carte recordings of Mikado and Pirates, recently released by the Sounds on CD label, so that these recordings can do justice to the enormous spirit of these operas.

Average customer rating:

A Young Tenor's Tribute to his Homeland

American Voice

Manufacturer: Azica
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00006JNEI
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Tracks:

I Gotta Get Back To New York
America The Beautiful
The Boatman's Dance
American Hymn
Puttin' On The Ritz
Make Them Hear You
God Bless America
A Simple Song
Sure On This Shining Night
I Am An American/You're A Grand Old Flag
Give Thanks
Shenandoah
My House
Bright Mornin' Star's Arisin'
Long Time Ago
Simple Gifts
God Bless My Planet
Battle Hymn Of The Republic

Customer Reviews:

A Young Tenor's Tribute to his Homeland.......2002-10-22

A vibrant and touching journey through American music, from the Old American Songs of Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber's Sure on this Shining Night and Simple Song from Leonard Bernstein's Mass, through crossover Broadway tunes such as I Gotta Get back to New York and Putting on the Ritz, to heart-stoppingly patriotic hymns such as America the Beautiful and Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Tracks:

Appalachian Spring: Simple Gifts - Aaron Copland
Bless This House - Benjamin Luxon
Beautiful Dreamer - Robert Merrill
Battle Hymn Of The Republic - Tanglewood Festival Chorus
American Salute ('When Johnny Comes Marching Home') - Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Shenandoah - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair - Marilyn Horne
Trees - Benjamin Luxon
Mississippi Suite: Father Of Waters - Ferde Grofe
Mississippi Suite: Huckleberry Finn - Ferde Grofe
Mississippi Suite: Old Creole Days - Ferde Grofe
Mississippi Suite: Mardi Gras - Ferde Grofe
Showboat: Ol' Man River - Simon Estes
Grand Canyon Suite: On The Trail - Ferde Grofe
Rodeo: Hoe-Down - Aaron Copland
The Entertainer - Morten Gunnar Larsen
Alexander's Ragtime Band - Canadian Brass
Stars And Stripes Forever - John Philip Sousa

Chords & Thyme English Folksongs for Guitar

Average customer rating:

En Evocative Musical Escape to England

Chords & Thyme English Folksongs for Guitar

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B000001QAI
Release Date: 1995-01-17

Tracks:

The Death Of Queen Jane
She Moved Through TheFair
I Wish
The Lass Of Patie's Mill
The Golden Vanity
Nottamun Town
The Water Is Wide
My Last Farewell To Stirling
The Cherry Tree Carol
Barbara Allen
The Drunken Sailor
Suo Gan
Simple Gifts
The Grey Cock
The House Carpenter - Edward Flower, Joel Brown
Wild Mountain Thyme

Customer Reviews:

En Evocative Musical Escape to England.......2006-04-13

I bought this CD on a whim, and it far exceeded my expectations. Edward Flower's arrangements of these folk songs (most for two guitars) are truly exquisite; each piece is a miniature artistic gem, capturing the soulful, plaintive, and often melancholy mood of these timeless tunes. This is a great CD to put on when you want to relax. Just sit back with a cup of tea, close your eyes, and let your mind drift off to the quiet meadows, shady woods, and green rolling hills of England!

Average customer rating:

Le Cinema de Claude Sautet

Manufacturer: Sunny Side
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000051YCQ
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Tracks:

Choses de la Vie: La Chanson - Michel Piccoli, Philippe Sarde,
Choses de la Vie: Grique
Choses de la Vie: La'ccident
Choses de la Vie: La Rochelle
Max et Ferrailleurs: Grique
Max et Ferrailleurs: Max (Suite)
Max et Ferrailleurs: Max et Les Ferrailleurs
Cr et Rosalie: Grique
Cr et Rosalie: La Lettre de Rosalie - Philippe Sarde,
Cr et Rosalie: Cr et Rosalie (Suite)
Vincent, Frans, Paul et Les Autres: Grique
Vincent, Frans, Paul et Les Autres: Convalescence
Vincent, Frans, Paul et Les Autres: Course l'Argent
Mado: Mado
Histoire Simple: Une Histoire Simple
Histoire Simple: Concert et Bandon
Histoire Simple: Le Temps Qui Passe
Mauvais Fils: Un Mauvais Fils (Suite)
Gar !: Gar !
Gar !: Le Petit Voyage
Quelques Jours Avec Moi: Quelques Jours Avec Moi
Quelques Jours Avec Moi: Limoges
Quelques Jours Avec Moi: Francine Sacr
Cur en Hiver: Trio Pour Piano, Violon et Violoncelle
Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud: Nelly et Monsiuer Arnaud
Titres Bonus: Entretien Avec Claude Sautet [*]
Titres Bonus: A House by the Sea [*] - Julie Dawn, Philippe Sarde

Average customer rating:

This is a YES!
Still sounds good

Simple House
Margaret Becker
Manufacturer: Sparrow Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Christian Rock | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

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Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Reckoning
Soul
What Kind of Love
Steps of Faith 1987-1991
Falling Forward

ASIN: B000008DBS
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Simple House
Talk About Love
Look Me In The Eye
All I Ever Wanted
Steps Of Faith
I Will Not Lay Down
Never Be An Angel
Scatter These Thieves
The Strangest Things
You Remain Unchanged

Customer Reviews:

This is a YES!.......2007-02-14

Margret Becker is one of the premier artists of our times. She doesn't get the credit her music deserves. This collection of songs is typical of the quality music she creates. Its a must add to your collection if you can find it.

Still sounds good.......2005-04-11

This was the first of several CDs Margaret Becker recorded with Charlie Peacock in the producer's seat. He brought a more pop/R&B sensibility to her sound, along with a desire to "push" her music lyrically and musically. For the most part, Peacock succeeds in spades making an album that's much more compelling than the previous disc "The Reckoning" and avoids a lot of the pap excesses much Christian pop is victim to.

It also took Becker's "star" status a notch higher with 4 hits: the #5 title tune (winner of the Dove for "rock" recorded song, though, truthfully it's much closer to pop), #12 "All I Ever Wanted", #12 "Look Me in the Eye", and #2 "Talk about Love".

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Talk about Love" is a bouncy retro-sounding track that feels for all the world like a lost Motown track recorded on modern equipment. It's a plea for a little less criticism and a little more understanding among believers. "Look Me in the Eye" is Becker's wish for a hard look at her life through Jesus' eyes to make some real growth. ("When I see you/I want to hear you say/You were proud of my life") "Steps of Faith" recognizes that you can't always see God working in your life and in those times "I guess you just, you just walk on...". It swells into a gospelly workout with Maggie B trading shouts with Ashley Cleveland. "Never Be an Angel" is a call for continued grace as we struggle to become more like Christ. "The Strangest Things" takes the cliched idea of 'falling in love with Jesus' amd stands it on its head a bit, comparing devotion to Christ to the strange things we do for romantic love ("Love will make a man/Eat locusts in the desert/Love will make a man/Dance wild in the streets/Love will make a man/Leave his house and home/Love will make a man die willingly"). It's all driven along by a great funky groove and wraps up with a long instrumental jam section. I can only imagine it was a great tune to hear live. "You Remain Unchanged" is a rumination on God's reliability set to a wonderfully subtle string arrangement. The oboe solo is particularly wonderful.

LOW POINTS:
"Scatter these Thieves" is the sound of Peacock trying hard to push the boundaries but forgetting about the song. It throws in everything but the kitchen sink...samples from "The Wizard of Oz", whispered vocals panning left to right, trilling flute, and scattershot percussion, all set to a jungle rhythm. The groove is fantastic, but this is a case where less would have been more.

BOTTOM LINE:
It's been many years since this came out in 1991 and I still like to put it on the player every now and again. "Talk about Love" is a never fail singalong song. Worth getting..especially for just over a buck used.

3 1/2 stars

Average customer rating:

A great "first step" to the magic of "The Great White Way"

The Bernstein Songbook

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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Similar Items:

Peter Pan (2005 Studio Cast) - Leonard Bernstein
Kurt Weill: The Centennial
Bernstein Century - Bernstein: Trouble In Tahiti, Facsimile / Bernstein, New York Philharmonic

ASIN: B0000026OU
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

On The Town: New York, New York
On The Town: Lonely Town
On The Town: Carried Away
PETER PAN: Build My House
PETER PAN: Plank Song
Trouble In Tahiti: I Was Standing In A Garden
Trouble In Tahiti: What A Movie!
Wonderful Town: Conga
Wonderful Town: Ohio
Wonderful Town: Wrong Note Rag
Candide: Best Of All Possible Worlds
Candide: Oh, Happy We
Candide: Glitter And Be Gay
Candide: Make Our Garden Grow
West Side Story: America
West Side Story: Maria
West Side Story: Tonight Quintet
West Side Story: Somewhere
Mass: Hymn And Psalm: A Simple Song
FINALE: ON THE TOWN: Some Other Time
ENCORE: 1600 HUNDRED PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE: Take Care Of This House

Customer Reviews:

A great "first step" to the magic of "The Great White Way".......2006-11-26

With the Thanksgiving passing of songwriter Betty Comden, I recalled that I had, in my album collection, this album, not just featuring her songs but Comden singing on "Carried Away" and "Some Other Time" from the Tony-award-winning "New York." Two other songs from the play are featured, culled from a 1960 recording.

This compilation has some of the best of Broadway, not just the songs but the performers as well. Familiar names like Boris Karloff, the legendary Rosalind Russell, Nancy Walker, Chita Rivera, and Carol Lawrence are showcased in various selections from the likes of "Peter Pan," "Trouble in Tahiti," "Wonderful Town," "Candide," "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," and, in this writer's opinion, the best musical in the history of the stage, "West Side Story."

The liner notes provide brief but insightful descriptions of the various plays, including an introduction from Comden and her longtime collaborator Adolph Green, also heard on the album.

The music is definitely Bernstein with his uniquely American style, coupled with Old World influences.

Average customer rating:

Zen Cappuccino - warming, frothy, sweet, and strong

Zen Cappuccino
Andrea Dale
Manufacturer: Bedlam House
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000DG8VY
Release Date: 2003-09-01

Tracks:

Mustangs' Freedom (Dale)
Sweet Delights (Dale)
Loving All My Life (Pressley)
Homecoming (Ohi)
Hatchet Hand Harry (Dale)
Zen Cappuccino (Dale)
Bewitching Hour (Dale)
Nahr al-Kalb (de Camp/Coulson)
Dragons' Dreams (Dale)
Saxophone in Spring (Dale/Ohi)
Prince of Darkness (Dale)
VW Bug (Dale)

Album Description

Zen Cappuccino serves up slice-of-life observations, fantastic worlds, children's campfire stories, travels around the world, and an occasional stop at the library along the way. Upbeat and positive with an occasional dash of danger and excitement, singer/songwriter Andrea Dale's second CD release encompasses arrangements from simple and quiet to active, intertwined, and just a little bit demented.

Customer Reviews:

Zen Cappuccino - warming, frothy, sweet, and strong.......2004-01-24

For me listening to Zen Cappuccino is like visiting Andrea at home - pull up a chair - make yourself comfortable, put the kettle on. What i like best - a genuine communication from an artist. But it's not all homespun songs - there's a wide variety of goodies in Andrea's kitchen. Thoughtful songs, magical, heartfelt, funny and a lot of interesting arrangements with bodhrans, trumpet, djembe, doubek a blugrass band, accordian, flute, sax, organ etc as well as Andrea's lovely voice and guitar. A strong crew of players too Dave Clement and Tom Jeffers from Dandelion Wine, Scott Snyder and Clan, Debbie Ridpath Ohi from Urban Tapestry, Bill Sutton, Brenda Sutton (from the Weird Sisters) - and these are just the guys I've heard of... What I like about Andrea's voice is that it is a voice of character - not just a sweet folky-girl voice - and consequently it has a wide range of expression. I immediately fell in love with Mustang's Freedom and play that song a lot - such a breezyness and carefree vibe. My other favourite is Bewitching Hour which has a strong magical feel to it. Hatchet Hand Harry has to be mentioned as it's a great tale of invented boogie man at camp - Andrea's "uh oh" is so well timed it makes me laugh out loud every time... My favourite songs are those penned by Andrea herself, which is most of them, but she also has chosen songs wisely too - interesting to hear a different version of Debbie Ridpath Ohi's (from Urban Tapestry) Homecoming with interesting harmonising trumpets arrangement. A more balanced and better produced album than her great debut A Step Out of Time - on that album you got the feeling she was still trying things out - on Zen Cappuccino you have a warm communication from a seasoned performer bringing her varying skills, with light and shade, to make a satisfying whole album. What are you still reading this for? Go buy it !

Music:

Music

Music

1. Simple House
2. Talk About Love
3. Look Me in the Eye
4. All I Ever Wanted
5. Steps of Faith
6. I Will Not Lay Down
7. Never Be an Angel
8. Scatter These Thieves
9. Strangest Things
10. You Remain Unchanged