Search - Judy Henske :: Loose in the World

A disc with which to be trapped - on an island or real life

Rebekah Sue Harris | West Haven, CT USA | 08/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How many Henske fans sought out Magic Judy on the advice of Burke (the mercenary with a soft touch for kids, protagonist of the Andrew Vachss books)? My guess would be a great many -- but we stay for Judy's unequivocal vocal talent.To go back to Burke for a moment, if I may: I'm incredibly grateful to the character, as how else would a thirty year old punk have discovered folk/blues from times of her childhood?I listen to the CD often; I listened to it several times today in anticipation of sharing my opinion with amazon.com. I played it several times the day I got it. I showed my boyfriend the description "Queen of the Beatniks." ("Oh," he said, "you have a leader?") I've been listening to it almost since its release -- and I NEVER tire of it. Every song fills me. . I first heard "Til The Real Thing" on the Safe House blues CD collection (purchased from amazon.com) and I never get tired of singing it.I tried to come up with an apt description of Judy Henske's voice. I thought, "husky," but that's not it. "Husky," suggests "rough."Then I realized that the description is "husky" as a noun, not as an adjective. As in the dog. Rich, strong, breathtakingly beautiful, and giving a sense of strength and inner peace."

Is there a 10 star option...?

Gregor von Kallahann | 07/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The fact that Judy Henske did not achieve superstar status in the 1960s has to be one of the great mysteries of show biz--or maybe not, maybe if she'd become better known, no one would have bothered to pay attention to ANYONE else. And the record industry would have died on the vine. That's the only possible explanation. She was sacrificed to the god of marketing.But seriously, folks, I do have an inkling as to why Judy did not achieve the success her talent merited. She was too eclectic and too brash. Unlike the more demure folk madonnas of the early 60's (Joan Baez, Judy Collins), Judy Henske was known to stamp her foot, wail a gospel number at maximum volume and just generally tear the place apart. Such unlady-like behavior got you nowhere in '63. And if your tastes are as catholic as your background, and you're not easily pigeon-holed genre wise, well, that's a marketing problem too.Judy Henske was just a few years ahead of her time. She could rage and burn like Janis (check out, if you can, her original version of "Betty and Dupree") and she was as ribald in her humor and as eclectic in her taste as Bette Midler would later turn out to be. It was a grave injustice that her solo albums on Elektra, Mercury and Reprise didn't sell better and even more of one that they have not been released on CD.But at last we have, as the suits would put it, new product. Is it worth the near 30 years between releases? Yes, yes and yes. Every track is a gem. Her voice sounds just a little bit frayed, but full of character, on the opener "Mad Dog Killer." But no sooner have you accepted that, than track two, "Master of Love" sounds like the Judy of 1963. And no one can carry the torch like Judy does on "Blue Fortune" and "Dark Angel." Ironic observations on her career may be detected in "Dropped Like A Dime" and "Wish I Had My Old Guitar" -- but she hardly sounds bitter. Wiser, certainly, but not bitter. The re-recordings of Henske standards such as "Til the Real Thing Comes Along" and "Betty and Dupree" serve as reminders that she now sings with even greater authority--and with more heart--than ever. It's great to have her "loose in the world" once again."

The OTHER legendary Judy

QTeacher | Oakland, CA USA | 08/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would like to claim 40 years of devotion to Judy Henske. Certainly if I had the last 40 years to do over again, I'd have spent at least 39 of them listening to this phenominal woman. But I'm a newcomer who never heard of her until I read a review so intriguing that I bought this CD sound unheard. You'll compare her to all the greats -- Janis Joplin, Etta James, The early [great] Bette Midler, Bessie Smith, Sophie Tucker, Garland on steroids -- but all the comparisons reveal is that there is no comparison. Thank God she's back. Setting this CD on Eternal Shuffle may, indeed, drive you insane, but for me it's now Week Two, and I'm doing fine."