This Mandy Barnett CD is sure to get pegged as a Patsy Cline karaoke project--for one thing, because it was the last project of Cline's producer, the late and great Owen Bradley, and, for another, because Barnett got her b... more »reak playing Cline in a stage play. With her sultry, powerful voice, Barnett can play the part to the hilt, but the Patsy connection only tells part of the story. The best cut here, "Funny, Familiar, Forgotten Feelings," is actually closer to the steel-driven '70s work Bradley did with Conway Twitty. Throughout the cuts pay tribute to a long tradition of catchy country, from Eddy Arnold and Carl Smith to Don Gibson and Hank Jr. But it's Patsy that Barnett most often channels. So, "Don't Forget to Cry," the title track, and others purr and swoon away like "Crazy," just as you'd expect, but they come off as trying too hard, too busy, slightly manic, full-tilt from note one. Still, Barnett's Patsy impersonation is really something. And until she finally lets us hear her own true voice, I've Got a Right is a charming countrypolitan trip down memory lane. --David Cantwell« less
This Mandy Barnett CD is sure to get pegged as a Patsy Cline karaoke project--for one thing, because it was the last project of Cline's producer, the late and great Owen Bradley, and, for another, because Barnett got her break playing Cline in a stage play. With her sultry, powerful voice, Barnett can play the part to the hilt, but the Patsy connection only tells part of the story. The best cut here, "Funny, Familiar, Forgotten Feelings," is actually closer to the steel-driven '70s work Bradley did with Conway Twitty. Throughout the cuts pay tribute to a long tradition of catchy country, from Eddy Arnold and Carl Smith to Don Gibson and Hank Jr. But it's Patsy that Barnett most often channels. So, "Don't Forget to Cry," the title track, and others purr and swoon away like "Crazy," just as you'd expect, but they come off as trying too hard, too busy, slightly manic, full-tilt from note one. Still, Barnett's Patsy impersonation is really something. And until she finally lets us hear her own true voice, I've Got a Right is a charming countrypolitan trip down memory lane. --David Cantwell
"Inevitably,the comparison to Patsy Cline will surely haunt Mandy Barnett, and understandably so. The same crystal-clear, earthy, sincere vocals that marked Ms. Cline's performances are certainly captured by Mandy. No matter, though: Mandy can stand on her own. This is a wonderful album in which Mandy and her producers, including the late great Owen Bradley, show a definite respect for the material they chose, and delivered a sterling package. The best cuts are undoubtedly "Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings, "The Whispering Wind," and "Trademark." My personal favorite, however, is the glorious rendition of "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming." With Mandy's superb rendition and Natalie Cole's treatment on "Snowfall on the Sahara," perhaps this wonderful song will get some more recognition! But, back to Mandy---it's a great album and I can't wait for more!"
Mandy does it AGAIN - Yee-haw!! Great stuff girl!!
Michael Butts | 09/21/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a fan of Mandy since I discovered her self-titled album and heard "Planet of Love" coming out of a jukebox, and thought it was Patsy Cline! Her newest album is SUPERB! Traditional Country music is back. Thank Gawd someone woke up to that fake pop stuff that Garth Brooks and Shania Twain are singing and put out some REAL country music - thank you Mandy! I've listened to her newest album quite a few times and never tire of it! For other Mandy stuff look for these: **1. "Always..Patsy Cline (Live at the Ryman)1995. Mandy sings 17 of Patsy's Songs. (You can find this CD under Patsy Cline listings. A Must have! **2. "Traveller" (movie Soundtrack). There are 3 non-album songs by Mandy on this CD which you can't find anywhere else! She sings Dark Moon, Dream Lover, and Searching (For Someone Like You) - all old country cover tunes! Look for them and add them to your Mandy collection - you won't be disappointed!!"
It doesn't get any better than this!!!
C. Heinrich | Oyster Bay, NY USA | 03/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"And she does have a right to cry! (For not being the megastar she has the chops to be.)For some strange reason I was turned off by the constant comparisons of Mandy Barnett to Patsy Cline. Remembering that the wildly overrated LeeAnn Rimes has also received such dubious comparison, I thought to myself "who are they kidding?". So being short-sided, I had never heard her voice. But I saw this CD at my library and I laughed and said "oh, what the heck". What the heck is right. I was really blown away by this. We are talking TNT! This is not an imitation of Patsy by any means. Patsy's influence on Mandy is obvious, but she makes it something all her own. Even the most cynical of country music fans longing for the "old school" will find this a voice and an album to be reckoned with. It is as good as any country music that you will ever hear by anyone from any time (putting aside the "aged" factor that older recordings can offer). As if working with Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and k.d. lang hadn't been enough for Owen Bradley, he just had to bring another phenom to our attention. It's too bad he wasn't around long enough to keep at it. He is truly one of the greatest producers that has ever lived. I could listen to his Brenda Lee work from the 50s and especially the 60s all day (come to think of it, I have many times). And why Mandy Barnett isn't better known is both a tragedy and a mystery. Hopefully she'll get a good agent without having to sell out.A voice like this will only come along once or twice in a lifetime. So pay attention!"
Great album, great voice
J. M. Zuurbier | Canada | 12/20/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'VE GOT A RIGHT TO CRY, Mandy Barnett's second album, might just as well be titled "I've Got A Right to Sing Like Patsy." Her qualifications: she portrayed the late great singer in a Nashville stage production called Always...Patsy Cline four nights a week for two years. Plus, Barnett's producer, the late Owen Bradley, discovered Patsy and produced her biggest hits. While Barnett's powerful voice doesn't quite approach the heights of Patsy's, she does a fine job delivering the kind of smooth, sophisticated country that made Cline a pop crossover in the '50s and '60s. On songs like "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming," "The Whispering Wind" and the title track, Barnett alternately belts and croons about heartbreak, accompanied by lush orchestration and oohing-aahing backup singers.The uptempo tracks like "Falling, Falling, Falling" and "Ever True Evermore" are fun, kicking numbers featuring fiddle, banjo and steel guitar, and Barnett sounds so traditional that you almost expect her to let loose with a cowgirl's "Yee-haw!" between verses. It's that quality that makes I'VE GOT A RIGHT TO CRY appealing to country fans left cold by the '90s version of the format, and non-country fans who'll find the CD hip and "retro.""
More than a Patsy Cline imitator
Catherine S. Vodrey | East Liverpool, Ohio United States | 03/04/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Those who love Patsy Cline know by now that Mandy Barnett got her real start in the music business playing Cline in a play called "Always . . . Patsy Cline." Of course there are similarities between their voices, but as great as Cline was, Barnett is just as good. In her early 20s when she recorded "I've got a Right to Cry," Barnett displays an astonishing ease and maturity. Her voice has darker tones than Cline's--more molasses than maple syrup--and Owen Bradley, a former Cline album producer, knows just how to play up those tones with sophisticated arrangements. Before working with Barnett, Bradley produced and arranged one of k. d. lang's albums, and you can see the similarities between lang's voice and Barnett's. Bradley was the right choice for both. Barnett is especially good on the title track, "I've Got a Right to Cry," swinging easily from sulkiness to wheedling to outright sorrow. On "Trademark," her voice takes on a gorgeous come-hither feel as she enumerates all the different ways she tempts a man. All in all, a stellar performance from a too-little-known singer with a handsome voice."