Jane Monheit - The Lovers The Dreamers and Me (13 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Tribute to Songwriters? Huh...

Christopher Enzi | San Francisco | 01/30/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"On this interminable disc, Jane Monheit- who has quite a lovely voice- rewrites (flubs?) the lyrics of Fran Landesman's "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" twice, each time destroying the rhyming structure and rendering the meaning less powerful. This is no tribute- unless you mean in the tax or royalty sense of paying to use the songs. Also, almost all the songs sound the same. I felt I was at a solo accordion concert. Some closer attention to detail, some variation, some nuance would all be appreciated. Except for the lyrical misreadings, this is all as bland as wallpaper paste. A disappointment."

No, no, no !!

Jonathan Rickard | Connecticut River Valley, USA | 02/05/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Take it off, please! I listened a second time to be sure it wasn't just me being in a foul mood, but this recording is an insult to anyone who appreciates good songs. Peter Cincotti (Rainbow Connection), Corinne Bailey Rae (Like a Star), Anita O'Day (Ballad of the Sad Young Men), and June Christy (Something Cool)--those who recorded the definitive versions of those songs remain untouched. How can 'Lucky to be Me' sound like a sad song? Listen to this dirge-like version. Puzzling that both Scott Colley and Gil Goldstein contributed to this yet were also part of the team that backed Boz Scaggs on his new 'Speak Low' recording of standards to which I've just assigned five stars. Is Ms Monheit so impressed with the quality of her vocal abilities that she ignores the qualities of the songs?"

A VERY disappointed fan

The Wayne-ster | London, UK | 02/24/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"A big fan of Jane Monheit's, I own all her discs and concerts and have seen her perform live -- twice. In our modern day music world of synthesizers and sloppy vocals, Jane normally shines as a superb technician, a fluid-yet-precise improvisor, and a versatile songstress.

Not so in The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me! All 13 tracks are bland, unmemorable, pop-like, indistinctive interpretations. Throughout the disc, Jane's singing is slightly off -- even noticeably flat on several occasions! (Check out 4 minutes 20 seconds into Slow Like Honey; 34 seconds and 3m28s into This Girl's in Love with You; 43s into Ain't Gonna Let You Break..; and 40s into Rainbow Connection.) Jane is normally flawless. What has happened in this recording?

As other reviewers have commented, the tempo of most of these tunes is a bit slow. Jane misses opportunities in This Girl's in Love and other pieces to let it loose. Instrumentation -- normally fully in-synch with her beautiful voice -- is also dull. Where's the sax? Where's the bass? Where's the jazz piano?

In short, if you're new to Jane Monheit, don't waste your money on this one. It will ruin your opinion of someone who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest female vocalists (not only of jazz) of our time. Listen instead to My Foolish Heart, Over the Rainbow, Moon River, Love Has No Pride, Waters of March, They Can't Take That Away from Me, and Comecar de Novo. If they don't blow you away, nothing of hers will."

Good but not too surprising.

unplug and listen | 04/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The charming star is in danger of losing her jazz fan base as it's quite a different animal to her previous releases. After dishing up syrupy strings and florid bossa novas on her last album, the vocalist Monheit revisits jazz on this new CD, which features an eclectic mix of contemporary and vintage songs. Corinne Bailey Rae, Paul Simon and Fiona Apple's work sits alongside Cole Porter and Leonard Bernstein. Not to forget Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection".

She says she sang in "millions of rock bands" in high school and college, and she's expressed a taste for Nine Inch Nails ("I used to be totally goth in high school for about five minutes"), and these days says she's "a little obsessed" with Björk's "Vespertine".

"Her way of expressing herself is completely unique and original". And yet, "I always knew I wanted to be a jazz singer. It's sort of what's closest to my heart. If it were a perfect world, I could just mix genres all day long and never categorize myself, but, you know, because of the way things are, you have to focus on just one thing. So obviously, jazz was the answer for me, without even thinking about it".

Jane has a gorgeous, pure, sophisticated voice which lends itself to everything from swinging jazz numbers to big, Barbra Streisand-like ballads and bluesy-pop torch songs - but did she have to do them all on one album?

As said before, she adds songs by Fiona Apple and Corinne Bailey Rae to her repertoire of jazz standards.

"The trouble is that every song sounds as if it was conceived for a supper club in 1955. OK for nostalgics, but anyone with a nodding acquaintance with the 21st century may feel left out".- Timesonline.

Monheit's cloyingly perfect voice and flowery style are undoubtedly in the love-'em-or-loathe-'em category and, with a couple of exceptions, there's little here for jazz fans.

My favourite tracks: "Like A Star", "A Primera Vez" and "Ranbow Connection".

Radio Show

"

I'm Glad There Is Jane

David Cady | Jersey City, NJ USA | 04/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For some unknown reason I downloaded this album when it first came out and never got around to popping it onto my iPod. But after buying and disliking Diana Krall's latest -- the turgid "Quiet Nights" -- recently, it occurred to me, "I have the new Monheit somewhere, right?" -- and finally got around to it. Wow, what I've been missing! This is the album the Krall disc wishes it were: a smooth, easy (but not Easy Listening) gem, with fantastic arrangements of an eclectic, interesting mix of songs, and some of the most beautiful traditional pop vocals you're going to hear anywhere these days. I won't join the argument about whether or not Monheit's a jazz singer or not; frankly I don't care. When an artist gives me this much pleasure, when the sheer sound of her voice is enough to calm and transport me to a better place, I don't worry about genres. I love Jane Monheit, I love this album. Not much more to say."

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