Float

Track Listings

1. Float

2. Commencement at the Obedience Academy

3. Big Bang

4. Garbage

5. I'll Be Ok

6. Breakfast With Blockhead

7. Basic Cable

8. Fascination

9. Oxygen

10. Skip Town

11. 6b Panorama

12. Lunch With Blockhead

13. Spare a Match

14. Attention Span - Aesop Rock,

15. How to Be a Carpenter

16. Prosperity

17. No Splash

18. Drawbridge - Aesop Rock, Doseone

19. Dinner With Blockhead

20. Mayor and the Crook

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Described as surprising, analytical, dark, mysterious, lyrical, & jealous. Rhymes that make one think. Mush. 2000.

Float,Aesop Rock,Mush,Alternative Rap,Pop,Rap,Rock,Underground Rap

Float

Tracks:

Catch Me If You Can
The Float
Come Fly With Me - Frank Sinatra
Recollections (The Father's Theme)
The Airport Scene
The Girl From Ipanema -Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto feat. Antonio Carlos Jobim
Learning The Ropes
Father And Son
Embraceable You - Judy Garland
The Flash Comics Clue
Deadheading
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
A Broken Home
Doctor, Lawyer, Lutheran
The Look Of Love - Dusty Springfield
Catch Me If You Can (Reprise and End Credits)

Amazon.com

Steven Spielberg veered from the futuristic sci-fi flirtations of A.I. and Minority Report with this brisk, stylish period take on the career of teen con-man extraordinaire Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his dogged G-man pursuer/de facto extended family member Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks). As always, the director's musical collaborator is John Williams, and the scoring legend uses the occasion of their 20th collaboration as a rewarding musical journey back to the days when he was known as Johnny Williams, ambitious young pianist for Henry Mancini on such early jazz scores as Peter Gunn. Informed by a half-century of subsequent achievement, Williams's return to the jazz idiom of his youth yields a smart, nervous score that evokes more than mere nostalgia. But with Dan Higgins's moody sax often leading the way, the veteran composer's work here seems more evocative reinvention than revisitation, yet another tribute to his uncanny ability to make any idiom his own. A handful of pop standards (including Sinatra's "Come Fly with Me," Getz and Gilberto's "Girl from Ipanema," "The Christmas Song" by Nat "King" Cole) deftly color both period and plot, but, as always, it's Williams who provides Spielberg's masterful imagery with its musical life's blood. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding!.......2007-04-04

John Williams does it again! This man is the best composer I have ever heard! The music fits the scenes in the movies so unblievably well that you will wonder how one man was creative enough to think of it!

Johnny's "Lost in Soundtrack".......2006-08-25

The opening theme is the coolest ever. It has that jazzy, suspenseful, space-age groove that takes you back to the early 60's era portrayed in the movie.

Once I discovered it was done by John Williams, things started to click. The arrangement and themes actually go back way before he was famous. Back to an era he may not want you to remember. Back when he was known simply as "Johnny" Williams.

First, notice the melody and pace of the creeping marimbas and bubbling flutes. Next, catch a repeat of the old Sci-Fi, TV Fairy-Tale known as "LOST IN SPACE." Listen for the incidental, suspense-scene music throughout. Did you catch the composer's name in the credits?

Bingo!(and still very cool)!

Excellent Mix of Jazz and Emotion.......2006-02-20

This is brilliant. You will have this theme ringing in your ears for a month after listening. I have collected around 25 to 30 J. Williams scores. This is wonderful like the rest...

John Williams, Film Scores and Jazz all done to Perfection........2004-10-15

I loved the movie and now the music. I think it is one of the most original soundtracks that John Williams has ever done. The Jazz in this music is so peaceful and lighthearted. This soundtrack should be on any music lovers shelf. In my book, this music is a classic film score.

A Great "Catch".......2004-10-04

Steven Spielberg's 2002 film CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was a breezy crime caper movie based on the true-life story of Frank Abagnale, a real "phony" who nevertheless embarked on a three-year spree of writing bum checks adding up to millions during the 1960s. To capture that era's swinging mores, he had his great friend John Williams design one of that composer's quirkiest scores ever--very jazzy and redolent of the scores Henry Mancini devised for the "Pink Panther" films and Stanley Donen's 1963 classic CHARADE.

But for Williams, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was very much a homecoming, as he started out in jazz and even worked quite closely with Mancini early on in Hollywood. The genuine jauntiness and mystery of the film's main musical motifs are balanced by moments of warm but not mushy sentimentality, and hit songs of that period by Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz, and Dusty Springfield round out this appealing collection.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was such an offbeat project for a composer and a director known for boldness, but it served as a challenge that Spielberg aced on the screen and Williams aced in his music. It is highly recommended for its sheer audacity in going back to the past and still remaining relevant to today.

Average customer rating:

Float On!
Old school music
Finally Floating On
float on!
Float On!

Float On
Floaters
Manufacturer: Mca Special Products
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Best of The Floaters: Float On
Con Funk Shun - Greatest Hits
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20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection - The Best of Ray,Goodman, and Brown
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ASIN: B000002QG8
Release Date: 1995-01-01

Tracks:

Everything Happens For A Reason
Float On (Long Version)
Got To Find A Way
I Am So Glad I Took My Time
I Bet You Get The One You Love
No Stronger Love
Take One Step At A Time
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

Customer Reviews:

Float On!.......2007-07-30

I have always liked the track "Float On" by the Floaters. Unfortunately, this is the only album that the extended version is on, and I bought it only for this one track! The rest of the tracks where not of interest. However, if you are a Floaters fan, you will be very happy with this album. This was cheaper on Amazon than from a downloadable music service.

Old school music.......2007-07-22

One of the backup singers is from D.C. We were very close friends and I sent it to him as a surprise. Now, he can play his music for family/friends and remember the "good ole days."

Finally Floating On.......2007-03-08

Most of the CD is average but this one song makes up for everything. The beat, the music, the special "effects" all good to listen to. Glad I bought it.

float on!.......2003-07-15

float on! with the floaters,one of the very best jams in the whole wide world!

Float On!.......2001-07-07

The long version at that. Still enjoy hearing it: Partly nostalgia and also a great mellow groove.

Average customer rating:

Genius at work: Caution to those without taste
Same style as the legendary Labor Days
Float-Aesop Rock
you can listen here
immortal

Float
Aesop Rock
Manufacturer: Mush
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Labor Days
Daylight EP
Bazooka Tooth
Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives
The Cold Vein

ASIN: B00005AU35
Release Date: 2000-11-06

Tracks:

Float
Commencement at the Obedience Academy
Big Bang
Garbage
I'll Be Ok
Breakfast With Blockhead
Basic Cable
Fascination
Oxygen
Skip Town
6b Panorama
Lunch With Blockhead
Spare a Match
Attention Span - Aesop Rock, , Vast Aire
How to Be a Carpenter
Prosperity
No Splash
Drawbridge - Aesop Rock, Doseone
Dinner With Blockhead
Mayor and the Crook

Album Description

Described as surprising, analytical, dark, mysterious, lyrical, & jealous. Rhymes that make one think. Mush. 2000.

Customer Reviews:

Genius at work: Caution to those without taste.......2006-10-12

There is no type of music in the entire world that can prepare you to experience Aesop Rock's "Float". And that's the way it should be. Float is the most unique, in-depth, and complete look into the mind and thoughts of a master of his trade that I have listened to. Blockhead, and Aesop himself, create some of the darkest, most incredibly tangible beats that I have ever heard in my life and I just can't get enough of it. If you finally manage to digest and appreciate the cryptic beats then worry not, the lyrics will keep you busy for years to come. The sheer volume of words is tough to decipher as presented, but combined with his winding analogies and metaphors, it is nearly impossible to understand it all. That is more of a compliment than it seems as I could honestly listen to this entire CD without attempting to understand a single word, just simply being engrossed by the perfect harmony between his vocal inflections and his beats is enough for me. To be able to visually read Aesop's lyrics while listening to him takes him to a level no one will ever approach again. If someone like Sage Francis (the closest to Aesop as I've seen) tickles your fancy then give Aesop a try, I promise he won't disappoint.

Same style as the legendary Labor Days.......2006-05-26

Labor Days is where you should be heading as it tends to be the best produced of his works to date and the most popular. When you have played that to death and want to hear more of the same then Float is just as good. I would recommend Float without a second to loose if you liked Labor Days. It has the same kind of beats with Aesop creating lots of confusing lyrics but that is the flow that you just let play in the background that sounds so alternative and unique... and ultimately great as well. You know Aesop Rock a mile away, there is nothing quite like it out there and this is a worthy addition to any alternative hip-hop collection.

Float-Aesop Rock.......2006-05-16

I like this album. It is my third favorite Aesop album, out of his four (eps not included). It is not my third favorite for Aesop's awesome wordplay, which is less that spectacular at some parts on this album. Nor the beats, which I find kind of dull and mundane. I like this album because for once I can actually understand what Aes Rock is saying in almost all of his songs.

Naturally, to give this album I like more than articulation on this album. As always, Aes's description and delivery is top notch. Not to mention the wordplay is top notch on most of the songs. Beats, as I said earlier, are kind of bleh. Most are a little too simple for Aesop Rock's voice. However he makes a few beats work, for instance "Commencement At The Obedience Academy," and "How To Be A Carpenter." But the beats may excite some real underground junkies, for the sole purpose that they weren't made in an expensive studio by a guy with a name that contains Blaze, West, or Pharrel.

The final thing that I gave this album a 4 star for was its length. Coming in as Aesop's longest album--some may think it's too long. But everytime I listen to Bazooka Tooth or Labor Days all the way through I feel I'm yearning for more Aes. Some newer school guys who just picked up Aesop for Bazooka Tooth or Fast Cars might not enjoy the plainess of this much. Other than that if you find yourself not much caring for Aesop because he spits so fast and mumbly, you may enjoy this album a lot more than his others. If you don't have any Aesop Rock CD's but think he gets good reviews you should buy Labor Days and Bazooka Tooth before this album. If you already have those two then you might as well finish out your collection with this and Fast Cars.

you can listen here.......2005-10-16

just go to http://www.mp3.com/aesop-rock/artists/402766/songs.html scroll to the bottom and you can listen to 30sec clips of every song on wmp.

immortal.......2005-10-10

the cat that gave this one star probably sits at home all day and plays final fantasy. aesop rock is hip-hop. almost everything he has done is sick and inventive. and it started here as far as LPs. piece.

Average customer rating:

The Best of The Floaters: Float On
The Floaters
Manufacturer: Mca Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Float On
12" Collection & More
Right on the Tip of My Tongue
His All Time Golden Classics
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ASIN: B000026DZK
Release Date: 1998-03-13

Tracks:

Float On (Single Version)
Everything Happens For A Reason
Got To Find A Way
I Am So Glad Took My Time
I Bet You Get The One You Love
No Stronger Love
Take One Step At A Time
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
Magic (We Thank You)
I Just Want To Be With You
L.A. Magic
Leviatica
Woman Love -You Are My Lady
Made Up My Mind
Float On (Long Version)

Average customer rating:

20 Ways to Float Through Walls
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Crammed Disc Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

CéU
Momento
The Reminder
Bebel Gilberto
The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves

ASIN: B000MGVBSC
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Tracks:

Traz Um Alivio - Apollo Move
Tartit - Tabey Tarate
Nine - Wise In Time
A Stork Crosses The Danube - Taraf De Haidouks
De Dar Do - DJ Dolores
London, London - Cibelle
Duele Le Le - Zuco 103
Usti, Usti Baba - Kocani Orkestar Vs Senor Coconut
La Collection - Hugo
The Candle And The Moth - Sussan Deyhim
A Home Away - Tuxedomoon
Orgem Da Felicidade - Celso Fonseca
Homecoming - Tunng
Tshileja - Kasai Allstars
It's More Expensive For This - Snooze
Psychoscout - Flat Earth Society
Disciplinador - Think Of One
Morceau D'Amour/Spoitoresa (Russ & Roc Remix) - Mahala Rai Banda
T.P. Couleur Cafe - Konono No.1
Ceu Distante (DJ Spinna Remix) - Bebel Gilberto

Amazon.com

Crammed Discs, which is based in Brussels, Belgium, has long been one of the world's most adventurous and forward-looking imprints, so when they put out a label retrospective, it's always well worth checking out. As founder Marc Hollander observes in his liner notes (he also produced the present compilation), the staff has made it their business to evade categorization. And this they have duly accomplished, with a roster that ranges from an all-acoustic yet cheerfully demented Balkan Gypsy band to a sexy Brazilian diva to Tuaregs from Timbuktu to "nu-jazz," remixes of all descriptions, electronica, and other cutting-edge experiments. As one track melts seamlessly, with no pause, into the next, the listener has the impression of being caught between at least three pirate radio stations, each one having no set programming policy or stylistic limitations whatsoever but a lot of taste. While all of the juxtapositions are as smoothly logical as so diverse a soundscape could possibly aspire to, some of the changes are nonetheless irrepressibly hilarious, but that's part of the fun. People weave in and out, seemingly as the mood serves. Ultimately the sole caveat is that, even at a generous 74 minutes-plus, one never wants the journey to end. --Christina Roden

Average customer rating:

Ooioo - 'Feather Float' (Birdman)
fascinating blend of early Floyd and Melt Bannana

Feather Float
OO|OO
Manufacturer: Birdman
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005AVFF
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Tracks:

Be Sure To Loop
Oizumio
Ina (Kanji)
Ah Yeah!
Switch On
Jackson's Club 'Sunspot'
Asozan
Baby Bamboo From Nose
1000 Frogs And 3 Sun In A House
Ring Ring Lee
(Kanji) Ooioo

Amazon.com

Phrases like "hypnotic" and "trance inducing" are sure to pop up in any OOIOO review, but there are many other seemingly disparate but equally appropriate adjectives--like swirling, noisy, and menacing. It's not surprising that beneath this veneer of womblike ecstasy, Feather Float is disarmingly challenging, especially given that the driving member of OOIOO (pronounced "oh-oh-eye-oh-oh") is Yoshimi, hailing from Japanese noise merchants the Boredoms and Kim Gordon's (Sonic Youth) blistering Free Kitten. But this, their second recording, is more Slits than Sex Pistols, more Ghost (meditative, psychedelic Japanese guitar wizards) than Boredoms. Built on rhythmic and vocal layers, there is a tribal element to OOIOO, as modern looping techniques and ancient drum sounds collide in frenetic Dionysian revelry. And there is wordplay galore to help transport you to the Feather Float world--where the 10-minute panic of "1000 Frogs And" makes sense, and where there is anger and confusion, but it all resolves itself and dissipates into outer space. Feather Float is painstakingly crafted to perfection. --Cyndi Elliott

Customer Reviews:

Ooioo - 'Feather Float' (Birdman).......2007-07-01

Whoa! This Ooioo CD really caught me off guard. Best described as good 'Japanese experimental'. Tracks here that'll keep this disc in my current rotation stack for awhile are "Be Sure To Loop", "Oi3umio",the total tripping "1000 Frogs And 3 Sun In A House" (gotta just love that song title) and the out-there "Ring Ring Lee". The vocals here may not be that great, but the over-the-top music more than makes up for it. Might appeal to some fans of Boredoms, Altered State and High Rise.

fascinating blend of early Floyd and Melt Bannana.......2003-12-09

very interesting CD. Some of the vocals are distracting, but the music is driving modern psychadelia. As I said, think Syd Barrett's Floyd mixed w/ Melt Bannana. I highly recommend.

Average customer rating:

Not necessarily bad, just not Marah
My introduction to this great band...
Bad - don't buy unless a devoted fan
Not What I Was Expecting
A Step Forward

Float Away with the Friday Night Gods
Marah
Manufacturer: Artemis Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000695TS
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Tracks:

Float Away
Soul
Revolution
People of the Underground
Crying on an Airplane
Leaving
Shame
For All We Know We're Dreaming
What 2 Bring
Out in Style

Amazon.com

Float Away with the Friday Night Gods should be titled Bait and Switch. Marah's third album challenges fans with such a drastically different sound that it nearly qualifies as audience abuse. While the group previously worked a brand of rock & roll all its own--faintly rootsy, vaguely Springsteen-ish, instantly distinctive--Friday Night Gods finds the band teamed with Oasis producer Owen Morris. The result, unsurprisingly, is a polished, Anglo guitar-pop record that sounds like Oasis--a silly goal that is, nonetheless, achieved to perfection on "Float Away," the string-and-synth first single. What's most frustrating, though, isn't the new sound but the band's abandonment of its own lyrical strengths. Their last album, the indelible Kids in Philly, created a vivid sense of place even as it embraced a universal sense of empathy and community--an approach that, Lord knows, we sure could use now. By contrast, Friday Night Gods favors ultracool and clichéd club-kid poses and derivative soundscapes. Everything here is distracting enough, mind you, but with the notable exception of the earnest, atmospheric ballad "Crying on an Airplane," it all feels like a retreat from significance. --David Cantwell

Album Description

Produced by Owen Morris (Oasis, The Verve), Float Away With The Friday Night Gods was recorded late last year in Wales and features 10 new songs. The first single, "Float Away," features cameo vocals and guitar from Bruce Springsteen.

Customer Reviews:

Not necessarily bad, just not Marah.......2006-01-16

This was the first Marah album I got after listening to some of their songs on myspace. They had the title track on their, which is incredibly good, however after listening to this album and the other albums they have released it just doesn't seem like Marah. Kids In Philly felt like they put themselves into the album, it was close and intimate. This album seems distant, perhaps because of all the synth noise. It would be a great album if it were another band it just seemed too conceptual to be a concept album from Marah.

My introduction to this great band..........2005-03-04

Wow, amazing to see all the crap flying about over this album. A friend bought it for me, probably thinking because I'm a big fan of Americana and roots-rock that I'd like it... and he was right, except that I love intelligent, beautifully-crafted pop music too. The production is excellent - sounds great and with a lot of punch... and now that I'm about ten years older than the median CD-buying age, I couldn't give a rat's ass if anyone thinks it's cool or not.

If anything I would compare this band to a male Aimee Mann. In fact, they'd be a great double-bill.

I'm interested in hearing their other stuff now too. Nice little CD.

Bad - don't buy unless a devoted fan.......2003-10-09

I bought this album after hearing one song off another album - "My Heart Is The Bums On The Street" - which is absolutely brilliant. This album on the other hand - excluding the first song, which is decent - is a blatant attempt at mainstreaming things. Lyrics can be good, but music is basically everything and the kitchen sink thrown in, subtlety be damned. Big chords, lots of distortion, lots of nothing special. Luckily I got it used for $3.99.

Gave it 2 stars because first song is ok.

Not What I Was Expecting.......2003-06-28

I read a good review of this band in Modern Twang (okay, it was written in 1998) and just finished listening to this CD for the first time. After reading the previous reviews I concluded I picked up the wrong Marah CD. Oh well, even though I probably won't keep Float Away, I'll look for Kids In Philly or Let's Cut The Crap.

I dislike this for the same reason I don't like bands such as New Pornographers...too much noise.

A Step Forward.......2003-06-03

This album has been villified by some die-hard fans on the basis that Marah have abandoned their roots-rock and alt-country roots. When viewed rationally, however, Marah have always been a damn fine rock n'roll band and Float Away... is a damn fine rock n'roll record. Marah had always threatened to make that next step. Their live performances have been turbo charged since day one and it was time for the band to take their sound and give it a further shot of adrenaline.

After repeated listenings to Float Away, several things become apparent. One is that this is one hell of a classy record. The sound is smoother, the touches are defter and the new rhythym section grooves like a well oiled machine. Another factor is the more global feel to the lyrics. Whilst Lets Cut The... and Kids In Philly were very much centred around the Bielanko brothers' home town of Philadelphia, Float Away... is the product of the wider world that has been opened up to the band in the wake of the success of their second album. This is illustrated most clearly in Crying On An Airplane, a lush ballad which acts as Serge Bielanko's ode to the pressures and torments of a long distance relationship.

Tracks:

Gianni Schicchi: Lauretta's Solo - 'Oh, My Beloved Father'
Idomeneo: Act III - Illia's Aria - 'Gentle Zephyrs, Soft Caressing'
The Indian Queen: Act I - Aerial Spirit's Solo - 'I Attempt From Love's Sickness'
Rinaldo: Act II - Almirena's Aria - 'Hear Thou My Weeping'
Linda From Chamonix: Act I - Linda And Carlo's Love Duet - 'Linda! Linda!'
The Pearl Fishers: Act II - Leila's Recitative And Aria - 'I'm All Alone Here In The Night' - 'As Once Before, With Night To Hide Him'
Thanks Be To You, O Gracious Patrons!, KV 383: Thanks Be To You, O Gracious Patrons!, KV 383 - Concert Aria For Soprano And Orchestra
King Arthur: Act V - Venus' Song - 'Fairest Isle'
Joshua: Achsah's Air - 'Oh! Had I Jubal's Lyre'
Semiramide: Act II - Semiramis And Arsaces' Duet - 'Dark Day Of Dread!
LaWally: Act I: Wally's Aria - 'I'll Float Into The Distance'
William Tell: Act II - Mathilde's Romance - 'Dark, Sombre Wood'
The Pearl Fishers: Act II - Leila And Nadir's Love Duet - 'Leila! Leila!' 'Lord Brahma! He Is Here!' - 'Your Heart Was Never Tuned To Mine'
The Rake's Progress: Act III - Anne's Lullaby - 'Gently, Little Boat'
The Mikado: Act II - Yum Yum's Song - 'The Sun, Whose Rays'
The Bird Seller: 'When You're Sent Roses In This Land'
Kiss Me, Kate,: Act I - Lilli Vanessi's Song: So In Love - 'Strange, Dear, But True, Dear'
The Immortal Hour: Act II - Midir's 'Faery Song' - 'How Beautiful They Are'

Customer Reviews:

Excellent collection of beautifully sung arias and songs.......2000-12-05

I am a newcomer to Yvonne Kenny's singing. Her performance at the Olympic Games in Sydney (at which she sang the Olympic Hymn) certainly left an impression on me. I was struck by the richness of voice, and this recital disk shows that quality off to great effect.

At this point in her career, Kenny's voice is not flashy; there are no coloratura fireworks or even high C's. What there is however, is someone who sings with clarity, charm, and ultimately with beauty. Kenny, like a great actor with the words, lets the music do the "talking" and proves an elegant and impassioned conduit for the composer whose work she is interpreting.

Hers is a mature voice, an intelligent voice perfect for Mozart and Strauss, the former of whom is represented here. On the disk she excels in the arias by Mozart, Purcell, and Handel. She also dispaches with class the songs of Gilbert/Sullivan and Cole Porter (in truly disarming fashion in the latter case). There is a elegance to her singing that is rare, but she does not sacrifice passion or committment. She comes across as a consumate musician above all.

On the technical side of things: Her diction is pristine. Enough said. She has one of the most beautiful middle registers of any soprano active today, and her vibrato is fresh and lively without being obtrusive. To be picky, the upper register can sound the tiniest bit forced. Yet taken into consideration with the rest of her efforts, this is a minor quibble which seems silly when I think of Kenny's deft negotiating of Handel's ornamentation or her solid trill throughout the disk.

Outstanding contributions also come from tenor Barry Banks in duets from "The Pear Fishers" and "Linda di Chamonix" (where he really shines) and mezzo Della Jones in a duet from "Semiramide".

This is one of the most satisfying recital disks I have ever heard, and I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of a simply beautiful voice.

A treasurable record of a truly great musician.......2000-08-26

Those who have not seen Yvonne Kenny in the theatre have really missed out. I have been fortunate to experience many of her great performances in the UK both in Handel and Mozart(perhaps the composers to whom her light, silvery soprano is best suited) but also her fabulous Feldmarschallin, a performance that for its subtlety and understanding of this enigmatic lady stands with the all time greats. It is partly preserved on a Chandos recording of Rosenkavalier highlights which for those unfamiliar with it is a real gem.

Kenny's voice has changed over the years both for better and worse. There is some scratchiness at the top nowadays (the aria from La Wally suffers seriously here and could perhaps with profit have been omitted) but her gorgeous timbre in the middle range remains seductive and fascinating, with its deliciously rounded production and seductive, resinous edge. She can still float a sensuous pianissimo. Above all, for a recording of arias in English. her diction is exemplary, and her understanding and use of text a model for others to follow.

The selection of works here is certainly eclectic and contains a number of relative rarities. Leila's and Mathilde's arias are beautiful pieces, beautifully sung; there is some lovely Handel and - especially - Purcell ("Fairest Isle" is all the more powerful for its simplicity) and the operetta and musical numbers are delivered with charm. She is probably too mature now for Ann Trulove, though "Gently, little boat" is touching. As a reminder of her past achievements in Bel Canto, she sings a duet from Semiramide and one from Linda di Chamonix ably partnered by Della Jones and Barry Banks respectively. Banks returns as Nadir to her Leila in a passionate account of an Act 2 scene from Pearl Fishers. The highlight of the set? Perhaps for me it is "So in Love" from Kiss me Kate, a performance that captures the bitterness and tragedy of this great piece perfectly.

Tracks:

Frédéric Chopin (3:55)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (3:07)
Franz Schubert (4:51)
Johann Sebastian Bach (3:39)
Claude Debussy (3:28)
Giacomo Puccini (2:29)
Robert Schumann (4:36)Songs About Spring (10:45) - DOMINICK ARGENTO
I. who knows if the moon's a balloon (2:11)
II. Spring is like a perhaps hand (2:50)
III. in Just-spring (1:31)
IV. in Spring comes (1:34)
V. when faces called flowers (2:26)To Be Sung Upon the Water (27:22) - DOMINICK ARGENTO
I. Prologue: Shadow and Substance (3:33)
II. The Lake at Evening (3:08)
III. Music on the Water (3:15)
IV. Fair is the Swan (1:38)
V. In Remembrance of Schubert (3:43)
VI. Hymn Near the Rapids (2:43)
VII. The Lake at Night (3:59)
VIII. Epilogue: De profundis (5:00)Three Vocalises for Soprano and Clarinet (4:02) - RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
I. Prelude (1:52)
II. Scherzo (0:40)
III. Quasi menuetto (1:25)selections from Along the Field (10:36) - RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
II. Along the Field (2:49)
VI. Good-Bye (2:24)
VII. Fancy's Knell (3:41)
VIII. With Rue My Heart is Laden (1:33)TOTAL TIME (79:34)

Album Description

The disc includes the world premiere recording of Argento's Songs about Spring for voice and piano, based on poems by e.e. cummings. "This first recording . . . should serve as a model for all future performances," the composer says. Argento composed this song cycle (his first) while still an undergraduate at Baltimore's Peabody Institute of Music. Here, too, is the only available CD recording of Letters from Composers for voice and guitar. Based on letters and fragments of letters written by Chopin, Mozart, Schubert, Bach, Debussy, Puccini, and Schumann, they illustrate a wide range of personal problems having almost no relevance to their compositional careers. The musical settings show Argento's understanding of each composer's expressive style. To Be Sung Upon the Water (Wordsworth settings scored for high voice, clarinet, and piano) is available in only one other version -- a reissue from the 1970s. The cycle is noteworthy for the subtle and sensitive use of clarinet and bass clarinet (performed here by Chicago Symphony Orchestra principal clarinetist Larry Combs). The clarinet reappears in Vaughan Williams' Three Vocalises for Soprano and Clarinet, one of the composer's last works. Vaughan Williams' love of early English folk music is evident in the song selections from Along the Field, his settings of A.E. Housman poems for the unusual combination of voice and violin. These are the only available CD versions of these songs and vocalises. Miss Michaels studied composition with Argento at the University of Minnesota. They share a fondness for intimate vocal forms and a distinct literary sensibility. "Argento's works impress on the listeners a strong musical personality, a result of his being drawn perpetually to the human voice" (New Grove Dictionary of American Music). For her part, Miss Michaels told Fanfare magazine (September / October 1996) in an interview: "I've always been attracted to the literary impulse behind the music." Besides producing musical sounds, she wants to tell stories.

Customer Reviews:

Finally someone sings Argento!.......2001-05-07

Well, I'm sure you recognize me as the serial Patrice reviewer (I promise-I'll branch out a little bit sooner or later!). Oh, but Argento! How fun his works are! I've seen recitalists perform these pieces. The obvious highlight for me is the Mozart letter, especially when sung this well, and with such humor. It is rare to hear such warmth so consistently in interpretation of such contemporary (yet distinctly historical in style) vocal works. Brava to Patrice for continuing to champion the talented underdogs (herself included, I suppose) of the music world.