Simply the Best
Nyles Lischniss | Hollywood, CA USA | 12/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Mike & Lynne are simply the best cabaret performers I have ever heard. They share a reverence for "The Great American Songbook" and are as knowledgeable and skilled with this material as any performers you will ever find. If they happen to be performing in your area, run, do not walk, to the theatre/venue/club. At a time when lip-syncing teenage girls are hailed as "divas" and even Paris Hilton (!) is now a recording "artist," it is all too easy for true artists to be ignored by the media and therefore unknown by true music lovers. Buy ten copies of this album and give them to your friends. Then do the same with Mike & Lynne's other albums."
For romance, musicianship, and creativity, this CD is tops.
Mary Whipple | New England | 09/28/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Justly famous for their George Gershwin concerts and their Gershwin CD, for which jazz aficionado and pianist Steve Allen wrote the liner notes, jazz/cabaret artists Lynne Jackson and Mike Palter apply their talents here to both old favorites from the American Songbook and to newer songs which have become standards in the past twenty years. Lynne's voice, usually described as "soprano," has the power and fullness of an alto, and her versatility and control allow her to soar through several octaves. Mike's vocal range from tenor to baritone compliments Lynne's voice perfectly. Lynne, a genius at the piano and keyboard, and Mike, equally adept on bass, accompany themselves, needing no other instruments as backup, and their long collaboration shows in their harmonies, their ability to hit words exactly at the same time, and their phrasing and tempo.
A special feature of this album is their creative combination of two different, but complimentary, songs in five tracks (three of them listed as "bonus tracks," though these tracks are also included on other CD editions), with Lynne singing one song, while Mike sings a completely different one. Somehow Lynne manages to connect the harmonies and tempos of both songs in her accompaniments, sometimes singing one song while accompanying Mike on another song, a daunting feat.
"Sing a Rainbow" and "The Color of My Life" are combined, as are "Didn't We" and "The Way We Were" (listed as a "bonus"), "The Nearness of You" and "When I Fall in Love," (also listed as a "bonus") "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top and "You Took Advantage of Me," (listed as a "bonus") and (my favorite) "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "I'll Be Seeing You," one of the most romantic songs in the album. In some cases Lynne and Mike blend songs so completely that the listener hears one song starting the track and a different one ending the track and is oblivious to where the shift between the songs takes place.
Two medleys, one consisting of ten Gus Kahn songs and one of Yip Harburg songs, are also major features of this fascinating album. The harmonies, lyrical interpretations, instrumental musicianship, and sense of communicating with the audience and each other are among the highlights of the album. Lynne and Mike, concert artists of the highest order, have already gained wide recognition from the music industry. This album should help them gain even more fans. Mary Whipple"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
