Search - Carmen McRae :: Sound of Silence / Portrait of Carmen

TIMELESS CARMEN MC RAE CLASSICS!!

Bradly Briggs | TOLUCA LAKE, CALIFORNIA | 05/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Carmen McRae was at her absolute peak when she signed to Atlantic Records in the sixties and these two albums are magnificent examples of the art of singing at its very finest! "The Sound Of Silence" was released in 1969 and its title song is engrossing and richly sung by Carmen and equally effective is her majestic version of the classic "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)". This stellar set has great vocals on every song and Carmen makes the Billie Holiday "Gloomy Sunday" a total masterpiece with a chilling and haunting vocal that is unforgettable!! "Portrait Of Carmen" was released a year earlier in 1968 and has always been one of my all time favorite vocal albums and one of Carmen's very best!! Funky and soulful is Carmen on the rowdy "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco" while "Elusive Butterfly" is stirring and emotional. Every song is strong on this classic set with Carmen's voice rich and powerful with glorious tones that make her one of the best ever!!! Do not miss this collection if you love great singing with flawless orchestrations and arrangements-this is the greatest!! Bravo Carmen!!!!"

Outstanding Material, Poor Presentation

Nathan C. Southern | Beverly Hills, MI USA | 01/29/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Two of the greatest - and least known - Atlantic albums of pop standards from the late sixties, in one package. Brilliant songs throughout, extraordinary performances by McRae. Unfortunately, Collectables failed to digitally remaster the tracks on this release, and several of the recordings suffer from significant amounts of noise distortion, as well as slight crackling, hissing and popping throughout. In fact, Carmen's brilliant renditions of "Elusive Butterfly" and "Walking Happy" are virtually unlistenable.If you're going to experience a masterpiece, why ruin it for yourself? Skip this substandard reproduction of the original, and seek out the vinyl LPs instead, until Atlantic has enough insight and foresight to buy back the rights and digitally remaster all of this material. I am unsure if the additional outstanding selections in the Collectables catalog (eg. Peggy Lee's 'Is that all there Is?,' Ira Sullivan's 'Horizons') suffer from such grave flaws, but after this rude awakening today, I'm not likely to take another leap of faith with the same label."

Many sides of Carmen McRae.....

Beverly Praiswater | 05/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Carmen McRae has always been able to take just about any song, standards, jazz, rock, and pop, and transform them into something quite new. This is exactly what she has done on this 2-album CD. The title song from "The Sound of Silence" is a gutsy vocal that is a huge improvement over the original hit. Her version of "McArthur Park" is tender yet rich. Her interpretation of "Stardust" is fascinating. Carmen vividly portrays despair in "Gloomy Sunday". "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco" is jazzy with a full, gorgeous orchestra. "I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do" is one of those smooth sultry Carmen ballads. And the grand finale "Wonder Why" is an uptempo song.The incomparable Carmen McRae has many sides. This two album CD is a fantastic trip down memory lane."