Size: 117,9 MB
Time: 50:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1985/2000
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals, Cabaret
Art: Front
01. While The City Sleeps (3:42)
02. How Do You Keep The Music Playing (4:05)
03. A Fine Romance (4:08)
04. There's No Business Like Show Business (6:04)
05. Blizzard Of Lies (3:27)
06. By The Time I Get To Phoenix (3:21)
07. Where Or When (4:21)
08. Ain't Safe To Go Nowhere (3:30)
09. Cheek To Cheek (2:39)
10. Poor Butterfly (6:51)
11. Slap That Bass (3:19)
12. Outra Vez (4:51)
Susannah McCorkle's second Pausa album is highlighted by a remarkable version of "There's No Business Like Show Business." Usually performed in razzle-dazzle style, the song is drastically slowed down and treated as a dramatic ballad by McCorkle, and she shows that the words are actually quite touching. Also on the diverse set are the singer's fresh interpretations of such tunes as "A Fine Romance," "Where or When," "Cheek to Cheek," "Slap That Bass," and even a tolerable rendition of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Backed by the Ben Aronov trio and on a few numbers joined by either tenor saxophonist Al Cohn or guitarist Gene Bertoncini, Susannah McCorkle is in such fine form that one truly regrets that her first seven American albums (four on Inner City and three on Pausa) have yet to appear on CD. ~Review by Scott Yanow
How Do You Keep The Music Playing?
Size: 148,7 MB
Time: 62:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2002
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals, Cabaret
Art: Front
01. I Won't Dance (2:14)
02. Easy Come, Easy Go (2:50)
03. A Lady Must Live (2:36)
04. Felicidade (2:26)
05. Losing My Hand (4:19)
06. Says My Heart (1:50)
07. Baby Don't Quit You Now (3:14)
08. Guess I'll Go Back Home This Summer (2:31)
09. Men Are Like Streetcars (3:10)
10. The Second Time Around (2:29)
11. The Trouble With Me Is You (1:57)
12. Bim Bom (1:56)
13. By Myself (2:09)
14. Sweet And Lowdown (2:54)
15. The Other Woman (3:27)
16. 42Nd Street (2:35)
17. Don't Smoke In Bed (3:15)
18. Why Try To Change Me Now (3:35)
19. This Funny World (2:20)
20. I Love A Film Clice (3:34)
21. As Time Goes By (3:13)
22. Something's Gotta Give (3:46)
Primarily a collection of early demos, The Beginning 1975 takes listeners back to a time when Susannah McCorkle had yet to become well-known or record for Inner City, Pausa, or Concord Jazz. In fact, these recordings came a year before the jazz/cabaret singer's debut album, The Music of Harry Warren. McCorkle was in her late twenties in 1975, and although she wasn't nearly as well-known as she would be in the '80s and '90s, she had some very enthusiastic supporters in England -- namely, producer Chris Ellis and pianist Keith Ingham. Both of them help McCorkle out on these demos; with Ellis serving as producer and Ingham accompanying her on piano, McCorkle comes across as a singer who has some growing and developing to do but still has considerable potential. In 1975, McCorkle had a major Billie Holiday obsession and, at times, she goes out of her way to emulate Lady Day's '30s recordings (which is a mistake because it's best to be yourself). But more often than not, McCorkle is wise enough to let her own personality shine through, and one really hears her potential on material that ranges from "This Funny World," "As Times Goes By," and "42nd Street" to the Brazilian song "Felicidade" (which demonstrates that even in 1975, McCorkle was capable of singing in Portuguese). Meanwhile, McCorkle's version of "I Love a Film Cliché" is too campy for its own good; this is the sort of performance that gives certain types of cabaret a bad name. Again, McCorkle still had some growing and developing to do in 1975, but excellence was just around the corner -- and Ellis was among the people who helped her achieve it. Although inconsistent and not recommended to casual listeners, The Beginning 1975 is a disc that McCorkle's hardcore fans will find fascinating. ~Review by Alex Henderson
The Beginning 1975
