Search - Greta Keller :: Mine Alone

The Epitome of Sophistication

Roger Mahan | 07/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How can I describe Greta Keller's performances in these recordings? They are magic. They evoke a mood, tell a story, reveal an emotion. To call her a chanteuse or a song stylist doesn't do her justice. True, she was a top international cabaret performer for over 30 years. But Greta Keller above all was an artist. Her singing paints a picture that transports you to a glamorous era that is timeless, but also nostalgic. It is the epitome of sophistication and good taste in the sense of the way that those words used to be used, when intelligent adults aspired to those qualities, and had the judgement and education to discern them from their opposites. Alas, our trash culture increasingly marginalizes such values, so when a treasure such as this CD comes along, for those who still uphold them, it is a real find.If you are unfamiliar with Greta Keller's work, some descriptions you are likely to come across will not be helpful. True, her career had paralells with that of Marlene Dietrich, but only in the most basic sense of time and place. I like Marlene, but though she had a presence on stage as a cabaret performer, she was no singer. Greta, on the other hand, had a beautiful and unique voice. But that was only one of the qualities that makes these recordings so memorable. She also was one of those few singers who used lyrics as a means of expression -- she reveals the emotions inherent in these songs. Pain, or joy, or loneliness all come to the surface as part of Greta's performances.The arrangements vary on this CD from full dance orchestras like that of Peter Kreuder or Brian Lawrence, to small, intimate combos, or a simple piano. One of the most affecting is just that, Ray Noble's standard "The Very Thought of You." My particular favorite is the hauntingly beautiful "I Will Pray". A number of these cuts are best heard in a dimly lit room late at night, such as "Goodbye To Summer", the title cut "Mine Alone", or the concluding number, "Sleep Well".But it isn't all evocative of romance and contemplation -- Greta gives us lively versions of up-tempo tunes such as "My Fine Feathered Friend" and "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", and even gives us a little jazz with a 1938 recording of "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The Key)".Befitting her own international and cosmopolitan life, we hear songs in three languages, and even if you are not conversant in German or French, you will enjoy those numbers as well.Most of these recordings are from the 1930s and 1940s, but they are really timeless. They sound as current today as the day they were recorded, and would not be out of place now in a sophisticated venue in one of Manhattan's prestige hotels. This is "adult" entertainment in the meaning of the term before it was associated with pornography. It has taste, style, intelligence, and glamor. What more could you want from a CD?"