Linda Ronstadt - Hummin' to Myself
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Free Music Notes for Hummin' to Myself
Free Music Review: BIG SUPREME
Hit: 5 Stars
Of all the pop/rock/R&B/country/Rap/Broadway Stage/'you name it' artists to ever have established themselves after the big band era(1930's-40's-50's) who have ever DARED to artistically challenge themselves to interpret/sing the Pop-Jazz Standards from the so called classic "Great American Songbook", only LINDA RONSTADT remains the big supreme, most encompassing interpreter. Ronstadt herself influenced generations of musicians during her prime and beyond, but, she remains the most inspired, influenced and significant heir apparent and unique master of this incredibly timeless and endless catalogue of perfect vocal songs ever written in music history. Main focus has always been RONSTADT's most compelling and encompassing attributes: her VOICE(possibly the most alluring and encompassing full range instrument in music history) and ultimate sincere interpretive TALENT...displayed here on "HUMMING TO MYSELF" much more detailed than ever before. True, RONSTADT previously charted this course in the 1980's, with the magnificent NELSON RIDDLE's guidance, to astounding, bewildering and sweeping high profile success at a time when Pop music was undergoing an experimental phase of synthesized 'hollow' forgettable sounds mostly ignored during the 1980's music revival ignored two decades later, save the American Standards which were reborn during the era. RONSTADT led "the pack" and opened doors for the likes of Harry Connick Jr., the grand Mel Torme/Rosemary Clooney/Tony Bennett career resurgences and multitudes of other contemporary artists, where her peers had previously failed to ignite enough interest in WWII era music. Thank Linda Ronstadt for her vision and sincerety which remain an inspiration to all involved twenty years later and still going strong! Free Music Review: Ronstadt "Hums" to a New Standard of Greatness
Hit: 5 Stars
Prime Cuts: I've Never Been in Love Before, I'll Be Seeing You, Tell Him I Said Hello
"Humming to Myself" is the latest addition to the burgeoning canon of standards undertaken by graying performers of yesteryears. Aside from Rod Stewart's chartbuster "Stardust," Olivia Newton-John, Anne Murray, Alison Moyet, Crystal Gayle, Chaka Khan and even rapper Queen Latifah have all dappled in the same foray. What sets Ronstadt's latest effort apart from her contemporaries are the nuances she brings to these evergreen chestnuts. As a vocalist nonpareil, Ronstadt does not just sing. Rather, she demonstratively shows that she has command over these paeans. Breathing life into each note, this former Grammy winner knows how to caress each syllable with just the right dosage of emotion in a lissome way. This has resulted in one of Ronstadt's most copacetic release since her folk/pop classic "We Ran."
Though Ronstadt's has cut Frank Loesser's "Never Will I Marry" before, this third time's really the charmer. Listen especially to how Ronstadt lets loose as she raises the roof with declamation on this anthem of romantic despair. Loesser's repertoire gets another stab with the cover of the ballad "I've Never Been in Love Before." The innocuously romantic lyrics of this tune harkens to a musical era where lyrics were more than just an afterthought and music was an art rather than about chart positions. Similarly, two of Cole Porter's classics are revived: on the dark "Miss Otis Regrets," Ronstadt's stately and understated reading ushers in an air of mystery so apropos to this tale of heartbreak turned murderous. Much more vivacious is Porter's lesser known "Get Out of Town" where Ronstadt's performance is sheer exuberance.
Easily, the crowning jewel has to be the oft-covered "I'll Be Seeing You." Unlike her albums with the late Nelson Riddle where a lush orchestra provides the musical background, here (as on the rest of the album) a simple jazzy ensemble accompanies Ronstadt. This has advantageously place the spotlight on Ronstadt's vocals. Prepare for some spine chilling moments as Ronstadt soars towards the crescendo of the song. On the other hand, the lesser known "Blue Prelude" has a more torpid reading which could easily pass muster in any late night bar. "Tell Him I Said Hello," a track Ronstadt wanted to cut since her Nelson Riddle days, is emotionally riveting. Dealing with the complexities of emotions generated from meeting her ex-paramour again, "Tell Him I Said Hello" is such a slice of life that will definitely resonate with all who have had suffered a broken heart.
Credit also has to be given to Hollis King and Rocky Schneck for designing and photographing respectively one of Ronstadt's most elegant looking albums. In this day and age where artists appear more or less like porn stars, this album sleeve is just beautifully designed with class and dignity. Needless to say, the cover mirrors its content: this is definitely one of Ronstadt's finest albums to date. An album that will keep you humming to yourself!
Free Music Review: AN OLD FRIEND DISAPOINTS
Hit: 2 Stars
This CD is aptly titled. A collection of nice songs that Linda didnt seem to care too much about. Just as one might hum an old tune to oneself while doing something more important - not something that you would want anyone else to necessarily hear.
I guess I yearn for that fire that used to burn in her and you could hear even in her ballads. Just compare this very flat rendition of Cry Me A River with Diana Krall's and you can see what we are all missing. I still love her for the past joy and her current spunk (the Las Vegas incident), but in this CD she is just "mailing it in".
Free Music Review: One of her best. A beautiful set of songs, expertly played.
Hit: 5 Stars
Linda Ronstadt's voice is showcased beautifully on this set of standards. Supported by stellar musicians, she rises to the occasion and delivers some of her finest singing in years. Excellent choice of songs, from the lesser known (Tell Him I Said Hello, Hummin'To Myself) to the more obvious (Cry Me A River, Ill Be Seeing You), she sings them all with warmth and passion. Her take on Frank Loesser's "Never Will I Marry" is inspired and exciting. The ballads, what she does best, are straight forward and rich with feeling, particularly "I've Never Been In Love Before" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". The highlight, though there are many, is a perfectly rendered "Blue Prelude". Her singing is clear and confident, the arrangements bring out the best in her remarkable voice, from the gentle melancholy to the powerful independence. The musicians have plenty of opportunities to shine as well. One of her best.Free Music Review: Her singing on standards is ametuerish, and not nessicary
Hit: 1 Stars
Miss Ronstadnt can sing 60's rock songs, because that takes no talent, she can sing mariachi music with some delightful charm, however she comes off as ametuerish and inconsistant as a singer of pre-1955 pop standards. She simply doesn't accentuate the words in the right places, she doesn't pronounce words properly, her diction isn't that of a singer of standards, and just to prove my point, in the 80's she hired Nelson Riddle, Sinatra's arranger, to arrange a 3 lp set of standards, snd even with Nelson's swinging arrangements, and Plas Johnson's dreamy sax solos, all made her sound all that much more unprofessional and ametuerish. Even jazz critic Will Friedwald, mentions these things about her. She simply shouldn't sing jazz standards, just because another horrible washout singer Rod Stewart is having success(though he's in many ways worst at singing standards), doesn't mean every other washed out pop singer should do it. Let's leave the standards to Krall ,Monheit, Bennett and other professionals who do it ALL THE TIME, not just when it's trendy, and a pathetic way to try and save a long dead career. Bottom line, her singing on standards is much like her view on politics, it makes no sense what so ever!