Search - Nancy Lamott :: Ask Me Again

"This tiny figure of magic would become, I knew, the voice o

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 03/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I confess I temporarily passed this one up, opting instead for the simultaneously released DVD ("I'll Be Here with You"). After all, I had accumulated all six of the precious albums in her discography plus the late recording discovered a couple of years ago ("Live at Tavern on the Green"). The prospect of hearing an assortment of radio broadcasts and tracks recorded under less than optimal musical or technical circumstances held little allure, and the inclusion of "Moondance" and "The Wind Beneath My Wings" in the songlist seemed to confirm that this might be the LaMott recording one could do without.



Lesson learned. Don't assume anything when dealing with artists of this stature. From the very first track the voice is simply stunning, all the more so for being so nakedly exposed. Sinatra and Riddle, Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Gerald Moore--Nancy LaMott and Christopher Marlowe. The messenger and the message are uncluttered and unplugged, the communication forever present and alive, the language of emotion as direct and pure as it gets.



Much of that message on the present recording concerns the precious, fragile nature of time. Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" wastes it; Jule Styne ("Killing Time") deplores its irresponsible use; Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" celebrates a pair who, like Lamott and Marlowe, were always "in time"; Nancy herself replaces "clock" time with an intense, expanded moment of experience that allowed her to make the most of her limited time.



Not until the 9th track of the first disc, "Call Me Irresponsible," does the audio come up noticeably short with its tenuous electric piano and thin, artificially boosted reproduction of the back-up ensemble, yet the vocalist's powerful, impassioned reading of the Van Heusen-Cahn standard simply can't be denied, perhaps matched only by Sinatra's performance of the same tune. LaMott's is a voice that can instantly transform itself from back-row explosiveness and defiant indestructibility into meditative, intimate vulnerability, which is the prevailing mood of the second disc. Since one of these latter tracks, ironically Rodgers and Hart's "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," was recorded four days before the singer's death, the poignancy of these subdued readings is all the more heightened.



This may be the best Nancy LaMott album of them all, and if Jonathan Schwartz was slightly off in confidently predicting that Nancy's would become "the voice of its time," it's only because he was premature."

"Ask Me Again . . . Who's The Partner My Heart Clamors For?

Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* | CA USA | 03/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""She brought to everything she sang a clean, clear sense of line, impeccable enunciation and a deep understanding of how a good song could convey a lifetime's experience." ~ Stephen Holden, New York Times ~



This two-CD-set is very worthy to any fan of Nancy LaMott, who succumbed to cancer in 1995 while she was at her peak and was considered as one of the best singers in New York City's cabaret circuit. Thanks a million to an Amazon friend and an ace of a reviewer who introduced me to the vocal artistry of Nancy LaMott sometime in 2005. Like Jonathan Schwartz, he also believes that Ms. LaMott was "the best female singer after Frank Sinatra." And naturally I was so eager to check her recordings out and I chose Live at Tavern on the Green as my first Nancy LaMott CD because of its beautiful repertoire as well as its live performances, which I believe are the best representations of a truly remarkable singer. Likewise, she belongs to a category of select-few female singers who have exceptional combined qualities of talent and beauty. It's so sad that she is no longer with us. I'm deeply touched by her life story and I'm always sympathetic to cancer victims since my own mother also lost her year-long battle with cancer, a killer disease. Needless to say, listening to these CDs has reduced me to tears.



This newly-released set consists of twenty previously unreleased songs and live recordings from Jonathan Schwartz' own collection. These are standards that stood the test of time and Ms. LaMott's interpretations are heartwarming and will surely add sentimental charms to your listening experience. One notable song is an all-time favorite of mine from the treasure chest of George and Ira Gershwin, the title track "Ask Me Again." It's an obscure song but it's one of the reasons why I was drawn to this set of CDs. Another great version of this song is from Michael Feinstein's Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins.



"Ask me again who's the partner my heart clamors for?...

... Whom will I care for my whole life through?

Please ask me again

Let me shout to the world...it's you"



All the songs are definitely winners but my personal favorites include "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Easy To Love," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "Call Me Irresponsible," "September In The Rain," "I Only Have Eyes For You," "You'll Never Know" and "The Music That Makes Me Dance." My special mention goes to a gem of a song by Harry Warren and Al Dubin from "42nd Street" - "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me" done in a beautiful duet with one of my all-time favorite singers, Michael Feinstein. His presence in this recording adds radiance to this collection.



Ms. LaMott may be gone but she had left behind not many, but a few quality recordings that we can enjoy listening to forever and a day, like this impressive set.



With my heartfelt recommendation.

"

Break out the champagne! Nancy is back.

Mary Whipple | New England | 03/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thirteen years after her premature death at 43, a new Nancy Lamott CD has finally appeared. The legal difficulties that have prevented her unreleased recordings from seeing the light of day may finally be ending. Produced by her long-time composer/producer, David Friedman, and released by Midder Music, this collection of previously unreleased music has been assembled by her long-time friend, DJ Jonathan Schwartz, to whom she gave these recordings.



Twelve songs were recorded during performances on live radio in 1994 and 1995, and six were recorded in a studio in 1988 but not released. "Tweaked" to even out the different venues, recording systems, and volume, the CD sounds remarkably consistent, though the second CD contains longer tracks and more unusual music. Many of the songs are from the Great American Songbook and feature Nancy backed by only a piano, usually by Christopher Marlowe,



"Call Me Irresponsible," one of the highlights of the first CD, was recorded at the World Trade Center Plaza in 1994, and features a slow, insistent, and swingy beat, a great sax by Harry Allen, and piano by Tony Monte. An unusual Gershwin recording of "Ask Me Again," Michel Legrand's "On My Way to You" (a moving and beautiful melody with a lovely piano accompaniment), and "Easy to Love" (a jazzier, more syncopated, and off-tempo version than usual) add sparkle to the first CD.



The second CD gets off to a gangbuster start with "Moondance," one of the best songs on the album, a nearly six-minute track in which she plays with tempos, varying from a slow, haunting ballad to a jazzier, faster tempo, replete with echoes. "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me," a wonderful duet with Michael Feinstein, shows Nancy reining in her enormous voice to blend gorgeously with Feinstein. The remainder of the songs are unusually slow, appealing to romantics, but missing some of the pizzazz one normally associates with Nancy, even when she sings ballads.



Nancy's fans will leap at the chance to obtain some new recordings, and even if these tracks may not all be of uniform interest, musically, they are exhilarating for those of us who have been starved for this wonderful voice. Some of these tracks are among the best she's ever recorded, and one can only hope for more releases from Nancy's archive, reported to contain enough material for three more CDs. n Mary Whipple



Listen to My Heart

What's Good About Goodbye

Beautiful Baby"