Gary LeMel - The Best Of Times

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:03
Size: 126.0 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[5:04] 1. Call Me Irresponsible (Feat.Paula Cole)
[3:10] 2. It Amazes Me
[2:22] 3. I'm Old Fashioned
[4:31] 4. Lovely Way To Spend An Evening
[6:14] 5. Skylark
[3:33] 6. I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love)
[3:57] 7. I Got Lost In Her Arms (Feat. Billy Childs)
[4:30] 8. Here's To Life (Feat. Billy Childs And Bob Hearst)
[3:18] 9. Once Upon A Time
[2:33] 10. When I Fall In Love
[3:08] 11. How Do You Keep The Music Playing
[5:03] 12. My Foolish Heart (Feat.Billy Childs And Bob Hearst)
[3:31] 13. I Remember
[0:22] 14. Interlude
[3:39] 15. Imagination (Feat.Billy Childs And Bob Hearst)

The music on this CD was all out previously on Gary LeMel's earlier albums Moonlighting, Lost in Your Arms, and Romancing the Screen, dating from 1994-2001. LeMel has an expressive voice and is heard here exclusively on very slow renditions of ballads, although sometimes the instrumental sections are taken at faster tempos. A sameness is felt by the third song, and it is difficult for one's mind not to wander. Certainly these renditions of "Call Me Irresponsible" (which co-features Paula Cole), "Skylark," "Here's to Life," and "When I Fall in Love" will not make one forget the definitive versions, and many of the arrangements are overblown. Only the closing "Imagination," which is performed in a combo with prominent playing by bassist Bob Hurst and tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard, has much life. Overall, the music is heartfelt, but it would be nice to hear LeMel on fresher, spontaneous, and more inspired material. ~Scott Yanow

The Best Of Times mc
The Best Of Times zippy

---

Gary LeMel - How Fast Forever Goes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:33
Size: 86.0 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz vocals
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over
[4:21] 2. Bluesette
[4:30] 3. Everything Must Change
[3:48] 4. Forget To Remember
[4:15] 5. How Fast Forever Goes
[3:05] 6. Satin Doll
[3:37] 7. Send In The Clowns
[3:47] 8. Softly As I Leave You
[4:07] 9. She Was Too Good To Me Since You Stayed Here
[3:08] 10. I'm All Smiles

Less well known as a performer than as a music industry executive, Gary LeMel began his showbiz career as vice president at Jerry Weintraub's Management III. A stint at First Artists Music followed, and it was there that LeMel was tapped by Warner Bros. to supervise the music for the Barbra Streisand films A Star Is Born and The Main Event; the soundtrack to the former was particularly successful, selling over six million copies in the U.S. alone. After serving as senior VP at Neil Bogart's Boardwalk Company, LeMel moved to Columbia Pictures in 1983; there he supervised a series of smash soundtracks including The Big Chill, Ghostbusters, Against All Odds and St. Elmo's Fire. Three years later he accepted an offer from Warner Bros., in the years to follow moving up the corporate ladder to become the president of the company's music division; again working extensively in film soundtracks, he launched hits including The Bodyguard, Singles and Space Jam. As a jazz vocalist, LeMel also recorded the occasional LP, including 1994's Romancing the Screen and 1999's Bobby Darin tribute Moonlighting. Lost In Your Arms appeared in summer 2001. ~bio by Jason Ankeny

How Fast Forever Goes

---