Gladys Knight - Before Me
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Gladys KnightEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2006-10-03
Music Label: Verve
Soundtracks:
- Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
- The Man I Love
- Good Morning Heartache
- Since I Fell for You
- God Bless the Child
- This Bitter Earth
- I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
- Someone to Watch Over Me
- But Not for Me
- I'll Be Seeing You
- Stormy Weather
- Come Sunday
Free Music Notes for Before Me
Free Music Review: Absolutely Beautiful!
Hit: 5 Stars
"This is music that will never die. It's as relevant as it was yesterday. It still applies. I am so honored to be able to do these songs that you are about to hear. Take a listen and I hope that you feel the same awe that I feel when I sing this music. It has been an amazing journey. ~ Gladys Knight ~
Gladys Knight, The Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Chris Botti, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Billy Childs, Joe Sample, Russell Malone, Al Schmitt, Tommy LiPuma, Phil Ramone and the rest of the musicians. What an impressive team! Their combined artistry, expertise and talents made this album so remarkable and the best from Gladys Knight so far. And not to mention the timeless standards from the creative pens of George and Ira Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Sammy Fain, Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler, Buddy Johnson, et al.
Ms. Knight, whom I'll always remember for her hit song "Neither One Of Us" and whom I've watched perform "Lover Man" at Chris Botti's concert in December of 2005 at the Wilshire Theatre, has established a name for herself in the R&B department and now venturing into the sweet renaissance of jazz standards from the Great American Songbook and I think she's in the right direction. Steve Tyrell, one of the greatest interpreters of standards, once said in a live concert that "standards have no expiration dates." And I do agree with him, such songs are timeless and they're here to stay forever. Thank you Ms. Knight for giving these songs fresh interpretations and style, and paying tribute to the jazz divas of yesterdays Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Lena Horne, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson and Billie Holiday; jazz icons Duke Ellington and Count Basie; and crooner Sammy Davis, Jr. as well.
All of her performances here are outstanding and rendered so effortlessly. She's so in-tuned with this kind of music. But here her style is more subtle and sophisticated compared to her R&B repertoire. She injects a wide range of emotions to these songs from the opener, "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me," to the last track, "Come Sunday," a wonderful gospel song composed by Duke Ellington.
Speaking of favorites, "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Since I Fell For You," "Stormy Weather" and "I'll Be Seeing You" for reasons so obvious. She made a mark on each of these songs and made them her own. Her renditions are simply gorgeous and the arrangements are so grand and unmatched. I salute a fine arranger/pianist Billy Childs (who figured prominently on Chris Botti's CDs and concerts) for an utterly exceptional arrangement with a classical touch on "Someone To Watch Over Me." Listen closely to the intro. Is that the sound of moonlight? It's so magical and I'm just in awe! Listening to this song brought tears to my eyes. It's so poignantly beautiful! And ditto with another one of his arrangements, "I'll Be Seeing You," which features my very favorite trumpeter, Chris Botti, on that lovely trumpet solo. You'll also be delighted with her jazzy take on "Stormy Weather," a John Clayton arrangement and features the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Some of the most notable recordings of this orchestra are Diana Krall's "Christmas Songs" and her latest "From This Moment On," and John Pizzarelli's latest "Dear Mr. Sinatra."
Billy Childs and John Clayton's superb arrangements on this album can't be ignored. They are truly remarkable. I have now included them on my list of favorite arrangers with Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Axel Stordahl, Billy May, Johnny Mandel, Don Costa, Marty Paich, Robert Farnon, Jeremy Lubbock, Claus Ogerman and Alan Broadbent.
On the acknowledgements, Ms. Knight wrote: "My most heartfelt thanks goes to my Father in Heaven for this most precious gift of song. And to my brother, Jesus Christ, for his sacrifice that I might live once again in the kingdom of heaven and further use my gifts and blessings to glorify them."
That's a nice message and very well said.
In conclusion, this CD is simply overflowing with beauty. Beautiful voice, beautiful songs, beautiful interpretations, beautiful arrangements, beautiful CD cover (I like her beautiful gown). I'll give it ten stars.
With my heartfelt recommendation.
Before Me Poster
By now, the list of late-career standards-coverers stretches a mile long--in addition to Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Smokey Robinson, and a host of less-successful others, add Gladys Knight to the tally. Don't just lump her in, though, because Before Me differs from its forebears in ways that won't let you forget it. Here is a flawlessly selected and executed exercise in nostalgia for all the right reasons: Knight, in a voice entirely undiminished, extracts the elegance from each of these legendary numbers and smears it all over the surface, something most listeners would expect only from a master stylist on the order of Tony Bennett. Yet the former Pip leader presides with a light touch. Replacing the powerful pop-soul that launched her legend with the swankiest, most black-tie jazz imaginable, she whispers her way through George and Ira Gershwin's "The Man I Love" and the candy-sweet lament "I'll Be Seeing You." Elsewhere, she smokes up the Lady Day classics "Good Morning Heartache," "The Man I Love," and "God Bless the Child," unintentionally turning the latter into a master course of vocal restraint. If "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" is the disc's wild card--Knight plays it light--the Duke Ellington stunner "Come Sunday," made popular by gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, is its five-star clincher: Knight punches her way through tirelessly, with a true believer's fervor. --Tammy La GorceBroadway & Vocalists Music CDs
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