Search - Margaret Whiting :: Now & Then

Updated oldies, terrific new songs, and Gerry Mulligan.

Mary Whipple | New England | 07/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What more could a Margaret Whiting fan want? Recording this album in 1990, when she was sixty-six years old, Whiting gives a contemporary new sound to some of her old standards, such as "Old Devil Moon," "It Might as Well Be Spring," and "That Old Black Magic." With Gerry Mulligan's baritone sax to compliment her lower register on several songs, especially on "Moonlight in Vermont," she experiments with new tempos and rhythms, and shows that while she may not have quite the range that she once did, that she is still a great song stylist who is still experimenting and having fun as a performer.In "The Lies of Handsome Men" and "The Coffee Shoppe," much newer songs than her standards from the '40s and '50s, she really hits her stride, using her acting ability to speak directly to the audience through song, and making these two of the strongest songs on the album. Piano accompanist Lee Musicker keeps his arrangements simple and often jazzy, riffing in "That Old Black Magic" with an up-tempo beat, and providing syncopation for "It Might as Well Be Spring," giving a whole new sound to these familiar songs.Whiting's voice is at its strongest in the middle and upper registers, in which she also seems to have noticeably more confidence. Arrangements which include a lot of half-tones and switches from major to minor and back, as in "What is a Man," "The Best Thing for You," and "Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks" are not as strong as those which take advantage of her ability to make a traditional ballad come alive. Though there's sometimes a little quaver and a certain fuzziness in her lower register, few Whiting fans are likely to mind--it's such a thrill to hear this great lady of song still going strong. Mary Whipple"

Classy Whiting delivers wonderous set

Mary Whipple | 03/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Margaret Whiting is the other girl singer, not Peggy Lee, or Roe Clooney, or Dinah Shore, or Helen O'Connell, but the other blonde. In this selection, with smooth stylings and top-notch back-up, Whiting delivers with a coolness and bravado that is simply no longer around. Her voice is full-throated and the songs pleasureable"

What a breathtaking album!

Francesc Vila Perez | Barcelona, Catalonia | 12/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a stunning album that you can't miss; Margaret Whiting sounds wonderful and her voice is extremely amazing. How an old lady can sings so well....just ask her!!!."