Search - Guy Haines :: New Guy in Town

A Guy and Some Dolls

J. Earles | Mooresville, INDIANA United States | 07/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last we have a follow up and companion to HAINES HIS WAY - the first CD from Mr. Guy Haines. A NEW GUY IN TOWN - produced by Bruce Kimmel (he also did the first album) - is a worthy successor and a fine stand-alone disk as well.



The packaging is attractive with colorful lettering on a b/w photograph of Mr. Haines' - well his feet anyway. The other photographs are indicative of the tone of the album. We see glimpses of Mr Haines, but he is never completely revealed. The camera doesn't do it, but the songs do.



The song selection is a bit more outre this time around, but there is nothing there that is without interest. The liner notes are by Kimmel with Haines himself writing about the song selections. Unlike the first album which featured a rollicking duet of "Pitiful Penniless Bums" with Brent Barrett - the duets on this CD feature the ladies only. Three of the fifteen tunes are duets.



"On Your Toes" and "They Don't Give Medals to Yesterday's Heroes" start the CD off well. "Toes" is the type of song that Rodgers and Hart wrote better than anyone else. It is with the third song, though, that the CD starts to soar. This is "I'm Past My Prime", a duet from LI'L ABNER by Haines and Jessica Rush. It's a fresh as the day it was written and you can almost imagine the singers in character as luscious Daisy Mae and Marryin' Sam.



"Getting Away With You" is a rather repetitious pop tune, well done but not a knockout like the first three selections. Haines then moves into territory familiar to him and those of us of a certain age. Gene McDaniels' unique style on his pop hit "Point of No Return" is matched by Haines enthusiasm for the song. It's got a great pop "hook" (with a nod to Rodgers and Hart at the beginning) that is played for all its worth by Haines and his collaborators.



"Second Avenue" and "Sure Thing" are pleasant choices, and it is nice to have them recorded. "Sure Thing" - from the movie COVER GIRL, is a duet with Kerry Butler. I am not sure what character Butler was trying to convey, or why she is singing the way she is. Maybe I will eventually get the message or idea or something, but her vocal certainly lets this song down.



Then we go to the next song - the album highlight for me. Haines does Rodgers and Hammerstein song from FLOWER DRUM SONG usually sung by a woman. It is "Love Look Away." Haines does the intro mid-way through the song instead of at the beginning and it works very well. This is my favorite song on the CD.



"Born Too Late" written by Kimmel is an ode to disco, as if anyone were nostalgic for that genre.



"Millions of Men" written for, but never used in, I DO! I DO! is a tremendous song that has a lovely melody and a sentimental but not sticky philosophy. Haines is well served by the arrangement of Kimmel and Grant Geissman. The piano on this track, played by John Boswell is thrilling to hear.



A duet with Juliana A. Hansen of "Little Red Hat" from 110 IN THE SHADE is rollicking and rocking. It is a great companion to the first duet, and it's great to have a contemporary recording of this song.



The rest of the disk, "The Faraway Part of Town," "Sail Away", "Cowboy Waltz", and "I'll Take You Dreaming" are all fine. The closing song - from THE COURT JESTER - is especially well sung.



With this release, Kimmel stakes his claim with a new label, Kritzerland. It will be interesting to see what arcane titles he will be releasing over the next few months. One can only know that whatever it is, it probably belongs on your shelf."

EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW THIS "GUY"

Thomas Birkeland | Ruston, WA | 08/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a fantastic CD. I took the advice of friends and got it, even though I had previously only heard Mr. Haines sing on THE STEPHEN SCHWARTZ ALBUM and a LOST IN BOSTON CD. What a delight to have a full CD of Mr. Haines' great stylings. A few of the selections were not instant winners with me, so it will be interesting to see how they grow on me over time. However, among my favorites were THEY DON'T GIVE MEDALS (To Yesterday's Heros) from the made-for-televsion musical ON THE FLIP SIDE; I'LL TAKE YOU DREAMING (from another of my childhood's favorite films, THE COURT JESTER); and GETTING AWAY WITH YOU. Without question, the two highlights of thIS CD, for me, were MILLIONS OF MEN, and LOVE, LOOK AWAY. The first song touched me, the second brought me to tears.



I can't say enough about this album or about this singer. Guy Haines is a treasure. He deserves to be listened to and enjoyed by music lovers everywhere. If there was any justice in this world, NEW GUY IN TOWN would walk off with a Grammy next year. It gets my vote for Album of the Year."

What a delight!

Priscilla Forsyth | IA , USA | 09/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After thoroughly enjoying Guy Haines first CD,Haines His Way, I was thrilled to discover that he has done it again. It was well worth the wait. It is a delight to listen to and I highly recommend it."