Search - Peter Ecklund, John Kirk, Arnold Kinsella :: American Dreamer: Songs of Stephen Foster; Thomas Hampson; Jay Unger; Molly Mason

A superb c/d

S. Hutton | Hartsdale, NY USA | 06/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even now, in the 21st Century, I think we Americans tend to look down on Stephen Foster simply because he's so familiar. Now and again a performer comes along, treats Foster with the tenderness and respect he deserves, and whammo -- one realizes yet again that Foster is right up there with Schubert. This isn't the only fine Foster recital out there...but I can't think of any finer."

Not exactly an item of mass appeal, but it's done so well!

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 03/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An opera guy singing songs written 150 years ago by a fellow from Pittsburgh who pretended to know something about the South...sound irresistable to you? Well, Tom Hampson is someone who can actually handle pop, folk and Broadway stuff in spite of his classical training. And the songwriter? Only the first real "pro" in our history. For accompaniment, Hampson and the folks at Angel Records hired Jay Unger and Molly Mason, famed for their work on the PBS/Ken Burns' "Civil War" series. So what happened? The result was a great CD of Foster's finest lyrics, lovingly presented to whoever is interested. I knew Hampson's singing a little, and of course, I knew a little about Ungar and Mason's pickin' and fiddlin', and I knew Foster's top six or seven songs. When I found this item at a bargain price, I couldn't resist, although I thought I might only listen to it once. You have to be in the right mood for this, and probably one needs a professional interest in Foster, or the history of American music, to fully enjoy it on a repeated basis. But as another reviewer has noted, there is a great version of "Hard Times Come Again No More" which seemingly was rediscovered about ten years ago by several folk/country artists. Also here are "Jeanie" and "Old Folks at Home" and "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Ring, Ring the Banjo" and "Oh Susanna" and "Camptown Races" and "Beautiful Dreamer." I also liked "Nelly Bly" and "Glendy Burk" and "Angelina Baker" (all three of which have been done more often than one might think by Americana performers) along with "Gentle Annie." Surprisingly, when I sat down to find this CD and do a review tonight, it did not show up in the list for Thomas Hampson under "popular music" or by its own title or in the list for "Stephen Foster." It only appeared when I looked for "Thomas Hampson" under "Classical Music." If Amazon and Angel want to sell some records, they should correct this. I like Stephen Foster, but he is "popular music" or I'm a fish."

He gives me butterflies

Ingerid Kvam | Franklin, MN USA | 10/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Thomas Hampson. Not only does he have one of the most beautiful rich baritone voices that this world has to offer, but he captures text and paints it for the listener like few can. His research into his vocal projects is outstanding. The liner notes are so resourceful and interesting to read too. I have never been very crazy about opera music and often times opera singers drive me crazy. Not Thomas Hampson!!!!! Especially this album. He takes out the opera, but leaves all the technic in. He sounds American and sings beautiful English text. No overly emphasized vowels distorting a true American sound. I get butterflies when he sings "Ah, that the butterflies gilded wings" in "Ah, May the Red Rose Live Alway!" It's tops my list of favorite albums."