Search - Mary Black :: Looking Back

Mary Black's Best Songs

Irish Flair | San Diego, CA | 11/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got this CD by chance at my local thrift store but I'm writing to tell you that it is worth every penny Amazon is asking for it. Mary Black has a beautiful voice that enchants and keeps you coming back for more. I actually got tears in my eyes listening her sing "Ellis Island", a song about an immigrant leaving for Amercia and saying goodbye. At the same time, your toe will tap along to songs like "Carolina Rua" and "Soul Sister". Emmylou Harris sings a duet with Mary in the well known "A Woman's Heart". And "Bright Blue Rose" is spiritually uplifting. My very favorite song on this album is "No Frontiers" where Black sings with such feeling; her voice just soars. I highly recommend this album as it has most of Mary Black's best songs up to the date it was released (1995)."

File Next To "Babes In The Wood"

Andrew Duncan | Riverdale, GA USA | 11/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found Mary Black back in the 90's through her very popular album "Babes In The Wood". Since then I have purchased several of her other albums but never found one that quite captured the incredible magic of "Babes"...until now. I listened to this album chasing the sunset westward on a cool fall evening and fell in love with this woman's singing all over again. The song "The Loving Time" really got to me. I need to review her discography further to find if there are more albums that strike in the same range."

A collection that soulds like an album

K. Parsons | Idyllwild, CA USA | 12/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a gorgeous collection of music!!! This collection does sound, and read, like an album... though I've had this CD for 13 years, I just recently realized it is a compilation. Perhaps it is the way the songs are arranged, perhaps it is the strength of Mary's voice, perhaps it is the consistently excellent musicianship that weaves its way through every song... it is really all of that. The only song that seems to be a little out of place is "Carolina Rua" - but I love that song. Favorites? "Ellis Island", "Bright Blue Rose", "No Frontiers" and "Summer Sent You". I absolutely melt every time I hear Mary and Emmylou sing the duet "Only A Woman's Heart"... that is a masterpiece. "Columbus" is a somewhat strange, but pleasant song. The only song I usually skip is "Adam at the Window". For some reason that song is irritating to me. Yes, it is "easy listening" in a lot of ways, but this is soulful, meaningful music. Mary manages to address spiritual concepts in several songs without sounding preachy or religious ("Bright Blue Rose" and "No Frontiers" most obviously), and that is not an insignificant thing. One of my favorite mellow CDs and one of my overall favorites, period."