Search - Al Jarreau :: Look to the Rainbow

In Agreement

Fretz | 07/26/2000

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I find myself in agreement with the reviewer "MBK" and share his/her frustration regarding the terrible editing job done to fit this album onto CD. I also bought this recording on vinyl years ago and loved it......and I also was looking forward to hearing it again on CD. I found the sound quality murky and muddy, and was shocked to find the beginning of "Take Five" hacked off almost in its entirety....one of the best song intro's I've ever heard. My advice....wait for the real thing (some day, hopefully)."

Quite Possibly the Album of the Century

Fretz | The Mitten State | 12/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let me be up-front about this. I bought this album when it came out in the late seventies (heard "Take Five" on a local jazz radio station and "had" to have the album) and have played it probably five dozen times each year, every year since. In my extensive collection of jazz albums and CDs, there is not a single album I enjoy more (although there are others that vie for second place, including John Coltrane and Milt Jackson's "Bags and Trane," but that's another matter). The fact that Jarreau tried to recapture the feel of this album on his 1990s work "Tenderness" is a testament to what a pivotal work it was in his own career. But it is much more than that. I recall a review, back when the work was originally relased, that talked about the nature of European audiences, which were both appreciateive and respectful--maybe that explains why this album works so well; like one Amazon.com reviewer has already said, there is an obvious, beautiful connection that Jarreau made with those crowds in Europe, the same sort that he makes with the listener at home. Jarreau sings to his listeners like few recording artists can, with a feeling and intensity that he himself has never been able to rival. If you like pop Jarreau, you owe it to yourself to listen to the "real Al," the one who scatted, who oozed emotion-- the one whose parting words to his audience at the end of "We Got By" still sends a tingle down my spine (this is not hyperbole). Not a single album before or since has ever been able to make me feel what I feel when this disk is on--probably one of the reasons the disk is "on" (in my house, anyway) so much of the time; I am confident it will have a similar effect on you. The only complaint I have is with the record company that produces this work: In their effort to fit what was a two-record set on a single CD, they edited a few of the songs, including a little from all of the last three (whcih happen to be the best three songs on the CD). You'll never know it if you didn't listen to the album version, but for those of you trying to recapture such things as that wonderful bit of business that occurs before "Take Five" (cut 10), forget it--its gone! I wish the original could be remastered in a two-CD set that would restore this work to its original release condition--the album of the century deserves nothing less."

A Magical Night It Must Have Been...

Maria-Rosa de Hacia | 01/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When this release appeared in late 70's, I was at a personal nadir in my life. I would often play the tracks "Look to the Rainbow", "Could You Believe", or "Burst in with the Dawn" to think of better times ahead...which of course did indeed come! This man has an incredible wellspring of talent with his voice and its Armstrong or Fitzgerald-like ability to mimic an entire band, instrument by instrument. The whole recording is worth owning, song for song. In addition to the three I mentioned above, "So Long Girl" (with its driving rhythm), "Rainbow in Your Eyes" (soaring vocal energy), and the funky "You Don't See Me" also stand out. What really makes this album work is the fine band he toured with for these sessions, especially the keyboards and vibes. The overall sound compliments his voice famously. I've yet to hear Al Jarreau duplicate this flavor in any studio effort since. We Latins call it "Sabor". For those who are into great Jazz vocals, for that matter, great Jazz, you've got to put this one in..."