Search - Vikki Carr :: Sings the Standards

Vikki's performances = great; the disc = something else

04/11/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"First, the good: Vikki Carr is a woman with an amazing voice. She can be soft and tender or can belt it out like few others. She's also got a commanding sense of rhythm and a pure joy that emerges when she handles up tempo material -- check out her infectious "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive." It sounds like she was smiling when she was in the studio cutting the track. She's never less than fine on the songs here, and the best ones have some truly clever arrangements. "Surrey with the Fringe on the Top" is slowed down to a crawl as she plays with the words, while "Tears on my Pillow" and "It's Not Unusual" are both darkly shaded, allowing Carr to shine in all her torchy glory. "Call Me" is reworked into a sultry bossa nova in which Carr pokes fun at her Mexican-American heritage: "Dime, I'll make enchiladas" she croons as the song fades out.Now for the bad: With her enormous discography, why do so many of the same recordings keep appearing on all compilations of her Liberty material? Her early albums are brilliant, especially "Color Her Great," "Anatomy of Love" and both volumes of "Discovery." Those albums feature daring jazz arrangements, spectacular vocals and some wise song choices, including "May I Come In," "Moanin," "When in Rome," "Invitation," "I've Got Your Number," "Never Will I Marry" and the beatnik fave "Like Love." These early '60s recordings rival Barbra Streisand's as some of the most unusual and adventurous made by a female pop vocalist at the time. Yet the lion's share of those albums has yet to make it on CD, while "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Unforgettable" and, of course, "Can't Take my Eyes Off You" keep appearing. Please, dig deeper into this talented woman's catalog and let these early gems resurface. It's about time they did."

Year Round Sounds From An Angel !!

Gregory | La. | 06/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of ALL the reissue cds I have bought THIS one is by far one of the best, thought out by the label and sound quality !!
JAZZ , POP and LATIN BEAT are all here !!
Vikki's voice shines on any track you choose.
Her angelic voice sings out in songs like ...NOWHERE MAN , UNFORGETABLE , BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX , EVERYBODYS TALKIN' , ITS NOT UNUSUAL , BABY FACE or TEARS ON MY PILLOW
Music and words brought together so smoothly... you feel the sounds are from heaven !!!
Vikki's voice is here with young ,brassy , strong and vibrant ,
which has only gotten better through the years .
If you are a romantic , YOU will love this cd .
Here's hoping more are on the way !!!!"

Vikki matches Dusty, Petula, Beatles, Elvis, Tom, et al

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 06/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vikki shows, via this CD, that she is as good a singer as you will ever find, covering a lot of popular songs of the sixties, but also going back to the thirties (I only have eyes for you).On some songs, she sticks more or less to the original arrangement. On others, she follows the example of Petula and slows them down, including the Tom Jones classic It's not unusual.Other great covers include You don't have to say you love me (Dusty), Nowhere man (Beatles), Until it's time for you to go (a Buffy Sainte-Marie song made famous by Elvis) and Call me (first recorded by Petula). In each case, Vikki's version is every bit as good as the famous version - and I am a big fan of all those singers.As if that were not enough, she also does superb covers of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Bobby Darin, the Supremes, Dionne Warwick and Glen Campbell. Again, her versions are the equal of the originals (sometimes even better), and again, I love the original artists.Tears on my pillow was originally a great rock'n'roll hit for Little Anthony, but I've got even greater covers by Reba McEntire and Kylie Minogue. Vikki matches all of them.If there is a weakness, it is Ac-cent-tcho-ate the positive, first recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters. Vikki's version is very good, without matching the original - but the Andrews sisters were particularly good at the uptempo swinging songs.Despite that minor point, this is a wonderful compilation which shows that Vikki should have been a megastar. If only Vikki had been able to record suitable hit songs BEFORE anybody else got them. If only ..... Buy this now - you will enjoy it !!!!!"