Search - Peggy Lee :: Miss Peggy Lee

A DISAPPOINTMENT

MOVIE MAVEN | New York, NY USA | 05/06/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have no quarrel with the talents of Peggy Lee. Certainly she is one of our best jazz/pop singers and has been so for many decades. Her album with George Shearing called "Beauty And The Beat" would be on my Top Ten Desert Island Discs. However, this quite expensively priced, 4 CD set has a "sameness" to too many of the arrangements and presentations. Although we've all heard the Peggy Lee of the sexy, almost whispered, come-hither phrasing, (think: "Is That All There Is?") she has proved herself capable of so much more. And with a few exceptions, this set delivers too many of those undersung, quiet-to-a-fault performances. When you hear the all-too-few selections from the above-mentioned "Beauty And The Beat" you'll hear a refreshing change of pace.Lee can belt, she can do Broadway, certainly she swings, and her taste in songs is perfect. Then why do song after song (and there are over 100 in this collection) sound much too similar here? I'm not enough of a musician to answer my own question, but I know it's true. And it's a disappointment.Want a good sampling of Peggy Lee's artistry? Choose your own selection of 4 of her CD's, making sure that on one she sings with a small combo, another with a full orchestra and be certain that the arrangements were done by different people."

BEST OF THE BLUES

RALPH PETERS | CLOVIS, CA USA | 11/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to this stunning collection of songs from the 40s through the 60s from the bluesy, indomitable Miss Lee is not as much a blast from the past as a smoldering, come-hither nudge as only Peggy can deliver. These recordings sound better than ever and four CDs are just the right amount to adequately represent the various styles of music and collaborators this genuine American original has complemented. Her fading health in recent years seems to have dimmed Miss Lee's contribution to the world of music, elevating Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, and Billie Holiday to higher rungs at the same time. My advice is to listen to this collection of classics and be reminded, ever so subtly, of the brilliance of this musical genius and startlingly original visionary artist."

An outstanding collection of Peggy Lee songs.

Paulo Br | 08/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the late 60s, when I was about 4 years old, I saw Disney's "Lady and the Tramp," which features Peggy Lee singing "He's a Tramp." I just loved that song, and the song about the cats too, but until I bought this set I didn't know anything else about Peggy Lee. Well, I can say that this set is well worth the price. The sound quality, for one, is outstanding for recordings of this era-you feel like you're front row for a performance. The songs themselves are mostly great too-some of them are so jaunty you want to get up and dance and sing along as you clean the house.An example is "Why don't you do right"--"You had a plenty money 1922! You let other women make a fool of you! Why don't you do right, like some other men do. Get outta here, and get me some money too!" Some of the material from the late 50s and 60s is a little too orchestrated for my taste, and takes some getting used to. The liner notes by Gene Lees are oustanding, and have some great phoots to give you a sense of what this neat lady is like. The only reason I don't give this 5 stars is that the songs aren't in chronological order-you can suddenly skip from a jazzy mono song from 40s to a stereo song from the late 50s, and then back again on the next disc to the 40s, which can be a bit jarring. Overall highly recommended, however, for the first time listener or the dedicated fan--several of the 100+ songs are rare or even previously unreleased. You'll have to get the best of the Decca years to get "He's a Tramp" though, it's not on this set!"