Ann Hampton Callaway - Ann Hampton Callaway (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

Ann Hampton Callaway sings beautifully here!

sskalsky@mail.coin.missouri.edu | Columbia, Missouri | 07/24/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an amazing album. From the first song, which Ann Hampton Callaway co-wrote with Cole Porter (no small accomplishment), to the rest of the selections which span the great American songbook, the performances and arrangements are superb. Ms. Callaway's original composition of "Perfect" is a true inspiration lyrically and musically. Her performance of "How Deep Is the Ocean" by Irving Berlin is quite possibly the definitive version of this wonderful standard, infused with a breathy emotion and fire and longing. "Our Love is Here to Stay" by George and Ira Gershwin is joyfully rendered, with charm and intelligence. Ann Hampton Callaway's ability to arfully handle phrasing and nuance of meaning and emotion resounds in every song in this collection. She is a wonder, and this group of songs is impressive and heart-stirring. What a joy! Ann's voice calls up memories of Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and even Barbra Streisand-! -so varied and rich is it in this offering. If you truly appreciate vocal music, add this to your collection, dim the lights, light a few candles, and share Ann Hampton Callaway with someone you love."

Perfect

Richard Benson | Plant City, FL USA | 07/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No, the cd is not perfect. "Perfect" refers to the last cut on the cd, one written by Ms. Callaway, and one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The rest of the cd does come awfully close to being perfect, however. Ann Hampton Callaway is much more than a singer -- she is an interpreter of music; an espouser of truth. "How Deep Is The Ocean" is my favorite version of the song -- a song that I frankly found a little tired before I heard Ms. Callaway sing it. One thing I feel about Ms. Callaway, is that whether she is singing a song she wrote herself, or a standard that's been sung hundreds of times by hundreds of other singers, for those moments that the song is emanating from her body (that beautiful voice doesn't just come from her mouth -- it's a force coming at you like a wave of energy from her whole person), it's pure Truth, as only Ann knows it. She's simply amazing. When Ann sings a song, it is her truth, and she is always able to make a believer out of me."

Better Late Than Never.....

Renee | BROOKLYN, NY USA | 08/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I came to this cd (and Ann Hampton Callaway) a few years late. I first discovered her on her 1999 "Easy Living" album. I liked that cd so much that I went in search of other releases by this artist. That's how I came to own this fantastic, exceptional cd. Not only are the song selections the kind of standards one just loves listening to over and over, but her delivery of the titles is simply outstanding. This woman has a truly beautiful vocal instructment. She should be as well known as Streisand or Sarah Vaughan or Dianne Reeves. She's that good; and lately I can't stop playing this ten year old album! It's worth a listen to."

Pipes, Power, Passion

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 10/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"And she swings like crazy. If her treatment of "Like Someone in Love" or "All the Things You Are" doesn't knock your socks off, you must not be wearing them. Ann's gifts invite comparisons with the likes of Cleo Laine, Diane Shuur, and other female vocal phenoms. And unlike some of them, she doesn't use the song merely as a "vehicle" for showing off sound, range, and phrasing. At the same time, I find this album a very mixed bag. Ann does have a tendency to overwhelm an evocative Rodgers&Hart ballad, as though she's going to "will" it into your consciousness with her musical rhetoric while unwittingly competing with the song's own charms (I confess I'm no Barbra fan). And the arrangements, replete with synthesizer and contrived interludes (even on "Like Someone"), occasionally get in the way, undercutting some of the exhilaration of the singer's inspired inventions.This is my first Ann Callaway album, and I suspect she's "mellowed and matured" since this release of over 10 years ago. Now that the performer has proven she's a major contender in a large and highly contested field, perhaps she and her arranger can afford to reflect on the lessons of Mabel Mercer or Billie Holiday."

A Striking Voice So Full of Heartfelt Emotion

Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* | CA USA | 04/28/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Warmly engaging, awesomely intelligent, astonishingly down-to-earth and deftly swinging, Ann Hampton Callaway is the perfect antidote to the screeching histrionics and ho-hum blahs that often pass for singing in the Neurotic Nineties." ~ Rex Reed ~

Ann Hampton Callaway possesses a striking voice so full of heartfelt emotion that suits ideally with standards. Rex Reed on his Liner Notes further added that "Ann's three-octave-range is capable of soaring into a brilliant soprano or a lush contralto, depending on the demands of the material, and her musical intuition builds extraordinary harmonic riffs into a driving carousel of infectious rhythms." She does not only sing, she emotes and brings new life and meaning into each song.

Sammy Cahn, one of the best lyricists in the history of Great American Songbook, once commented: "I have never heard anyone like her--she is simply stupendous." Amen to that! Her readings of evergreens such as "Too Late Now," "A Time For Love," "My Romance/My Foolish Heart" and "How Deep Is The Ocean" are delivered with heartfelt emotion that make them all well-worth remembering with the passage of time. She left a lasting impression into each of these chestnuts with her own trademark of excellence in singing.

Listen with your undivided attention to the ingenuity of "I've Got The World On A String" where she used her versatile voice to mimic the sound of a tenor saxophone on its bridge as she engages in a musical conversation with alto saxophonist Jerry Dodgion, trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, pianist Michael Abene and drummer Kenny Washington.

I have never heard "Our Love Is Here To Stay" sung in catchy, infectious jazz samba rhythm until now. The result is a superbly-interpreted Gershwin classic with a new twist and flavor. And very tasteful at that! Kudos to a team of skilled musicians: Mike Renzi (piano/arranger), Jay Berliner (classical guitar), Chip Jackson (bass) and Terry Clarke (drums) for making this track a delightful treat. The same group of musicians played on "But Beautiful." Its Latin-tinged arrangement makes it one of the best versions of all-time. It is smooth, cool and ear-candy.

Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern's "All The Things You Are" has been interpreted countless time with or without vocals, but Callaway gives a whole new meaning to it by singing its rarely-heard introductory verse. It is also a showcase of her incredible flair in scatting.

I have always thought that Kenny Rankin (Kenny Rankin Album) and Natalie Cole (Still Unforgettable (Amazon Exclusive Bonus Track)) delivered the very best renditions of Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen's gem of a song, "Here's That Rainy Day." Now I have added Callaway's interpretation, thus making it one of the best three vocal versions of all-time.

I had a great time listening to Ann Hampton Callaway's lifelong-dream-come-true-album and would like to recommend it to all vocal jazz fans. It's absolutely beautiful and a keeper!"

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