Honey for the Bees [Edit] - Patti Austin, Jolley, Steve
The Heat of Heat [Edit] - Patti Austin, Harris, James III
Gettin' Away with Murder - Patti Austin, Britten, Terry
This career-spanning single-disc collection gathers 17 hit singles from 1969 to 1985. Includes her smash duet with James Ingram, "Baby Come To Me," and her long out-of-print first single, "The Family Tree."
This career-spanning single-disc collection gathers 17 hit singles from 1969 to 1985. Includes her smash duet with James Ingram, "Baby Come To Me," and her long out-of-print first single, "The Family Tree."
"I love Patti Austin, and I am glad I own this cd, I love "Baby Come To Me" and "Rhythm of the street" I love the entire cd, but those are my 2 favorite songs.............I hope they release some DVD's of this beautiful woman's concerts and music videos, as soon as possible or in the near future, all of the other reviewers and true fans of hers should know that she still tours extensively and she has a beautiful website called:PattiAustin.Com.........Visit it somtime, beautiful pictures and updates, you'll love it.........I love this woman and I would love to get her the exposure an recognition she deserves. She deserves recognition and the respect like Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer,Chaka Khan, Diana Ross,Martha Washington,Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, and many other beautiful divas........I love her so much, please go out and get this cd today,you'll be glad you did."
Album reveals why Austin ISN'T a bigger star!
Reginald D. Garrard | Camilla, GA USA | 05/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Before the "neggies" start a-flying, let me state that I am a HUGE Patti Austin fan, owning ten albums featuring the talented songstress. Austin has been a star in my book since the first time I heard her as a singer of commercial jingles decades ago. However, her skills have yet to be appreciated by the masses because of her eclectic choices, well represented on this compilation of "singles."
Most singers of note are known for a particular genre; that is, they are known as being a performer of either pop, jazz, R & B, or of any other musical genre. Austin can do it all, thus she doesn't have one particular NICHE. Because of that fact, she has yet to be "discovered" by a mainstream audience and that limits her familiarity.
That said, the disc showcases songs associated with the singer from 1969 to 1986. The first is a rarity: "The Family Tree," a song that Austin recorded when she was just a teen. It is more of an "old school" R & B tune that has a uniqueness that distinguishes it from the others.
Three cuts ("Say You Love Me," "We're in Love "and" Body Language") are culled from albums that Austin recorded on the CTI and are more in the light jazz vein.
It was her pairings with mentor and godfather Quincy Jones that really brought Austin some attention. She was more than just a "session singer" and really shines in the characteristic big production values associated with "Q" on "Love, I Never Had It So Good" and "Razzmatazz."
Austin then moved on to "Q's" own label and had some of her greatest commercial successes represented by "Do You Love Me?", "Every Home Should Have One," "Baby, Come to Me" and "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (duets with James Ingram).
From the remaining selections the best are "It's Gonna Be Special," "Rhythm of the Street," "Shoot the Moon," and "The Heat of Heat," the latter tune remembered by fans of the soap opera "The Young and the Restless."
As far as the packaging is concerned, no one does it better than Rhino and the liner notes features smile-inducing commentary by the singer about each cut, as well as a discography of the albums featuring each song and great photos of the singer.
Though "The Very Best of Patti Austin" is a good album, a better representation of the singer's vocal gifts can be found in "For Ella," a spectacular tribute to the late Fitzgerald."
There's A Special Kind Of Magic In The Air Listening To This
Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* | CA USA | 11/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Patti Austin has been making records for over 30 years. In a business filled with boy bands, one-hit wonders, and flavors of the month, 30-plus careers don't happen all that often. Long careers filled with consistent Top 100 Hits hardly happen at all." ~ Shawn Amos ~
True enough, Patti Austin has a solid and unswerving recording career and she's one of the most in-demand songbirds of all-time. I've been an admirer of her music and her vocal style since I started to appreciate smooth jazz. Some of her most remarkable hit singles are highlighted in this compilation. The original recordings were produced by some of the most influential names in the jazz scene namely: Creed Taylor, Dave Grusin, Quincy Jones, Russ Titelman, Johnny Mandel and Tommy LiPuma, among others.
Two of my personal favorites are the duets with James Ingram - "Baby, Come To Me" and the theme from one of my favorite movies of all-time, "Best Friends," which stars Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn, "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?" This great song received an Oscar nomination.
"If we can try with everyday
To make it better as it grows
With any luck then I suppose
The music never ends."
Listening to the grooviest tracks "Razzamatazz," "Love, I Never Had It So Good" and "Do You Love Me?" makes you want to wear your dancing shoes and show off your dancing skills and swing the night away.
Ms. Austin does not only sing the melodies and lyrics of songs for the sake of singing, she sings with dedication and élan that reflect her creativity and her graceful voice. Her fans know the fact that she's not only a great songbird but also a talented composer in her own right. She composed two of the loveliest songs ever recorded and my all-time favorites, "Say You Love Me" and "We're In Love." (sub rosa: I listened to these songs repeatedly before listening to the rest of the tracks, can't get enough of their charms).
There's a special kind of magic in the air listening to this memorable songs that takes me back to yesterdays. Do you feel the same way?
Keep the music playing always and ever!
"
Where is all the rest?
John R. Jones Jr. | United States | 06/17/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"For the uninitiated, this collection may be a good place to start becoming familiar with and appreciating Patti Austin - I would have readily given it 5 stars if only more of Patti's work had been included. As it is, it is a good collection, but not stellar - something an artist of Patti's caliber truly deserved. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the recording, nor of the selection of the songs that are included, but there should have been so much more, in my opinion. Patti is an outstanding singer and her ability to effectively cover any musical genre is especially noteworthy, so where is "Talkin' 'Bout My Baby", "People In Love (Do the Strangest Things)", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Carry On" "How Can I Be Sure", just to name a few? This should have been a two disc collection, at minimum - or better yet, why not give Patti her due and get a really comprehensive boxed set on the street? Again, if you are new to Patti's work, this CD is a good place to start - just realize that there is much more out there by this very talented and versatile artist, and this recording only scratches the surface of what she has to offer."