Street of Dreams was designed as a project for Patti Austin to sing her favorite songs, regardless of genre. True, there are a couple of later songs here, usually including two co-written by Vaneese Thomas, but the heart of the album is in interpretations of "The Look of Love," "Street of Dreams," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "'Till There Was You," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "For Once in My Life," and "IGY (What a Beautiful World)." Although the arrangements can get a little too clean and synthesized (much of the album sounds as if it was recorded with DX-7s), Austin is in terrific form throughout, breathing life into songs that have been recorded numerous times. It's a fine latter-day effort from a fine singer.
And how! Austin tackles standards such as "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me," and succeeds brilliantly. Her version of Comden, Green, and Bernstein's "I Can Cook, Too" is enough by itself to make this a pick.
Excellent Album from Extravagant French Pop Diva of the Big 80's. Perhaps the most original debut to come out of the French music movement of the late-'80s, "Labyrinthe" bears very little resemblance to traditional French chanson and synth pop from the likes of Les Rita Mitsouko. Instead, it provides an accessible but rough sound driven by Guesch's hoarse, snotty voice and the tight accompaniment of her backing band Encore. "Etienne" was #1 in several European countries, while the video clip (with Guesch using a chair as sexual partner) caused much uproar. As debut albums go, there's a couple of filler and uninspired tracks, and the band sometimes falls into rock cliches. Nevertheless, the funny "Let be must..", the suprisingly sinister "Bon anniversaire", and the bright pop of "C'est pas assez" are other highlights. "Labyrinthe" is rather a collection of songs (and not a very consistent album), but the dynamic performance of Guesch and her band keeps things fairly interesting.
Originally issued in 1976, "End Of A Rainbow" was Patti's solo debut album for CTI Records. Although not a commercial success, this album was one of the first ever to be exclusively devoted to the Quiet Storm "sound" that was just-then blossoming. Patti's soulful, tender and at times wistful and melancholic vocals are nothing short of exquisite. Patti wrote all eight tracks herself and CTI boss Creed Taylor obviously spared no expenses in getting the best session players for this cult classic. Now that it's available on CD "End Of A Rainbow" definitely deserves a reappraisal.
"Havana Candy" was Patti Austin's second solo album and was produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. Stylistically, it's very similar to its predecessor and Patti's passionate and emotive vocals are truly magical and spellbinding on gorgeous ballads like "I Just Want To Know", "Little Baby" and "That's Enough For Me". While not commercially successful, "Havana Candy" is a Patti Austin classic which anyone who loves good music should not miss out on.
Guitarist Tuck Andress and vocalist Patti Cathcart created a bit of a stir with this set, their debut recording. Patti's powerful folk singing and Tuck's self-sufficient guitar make for a very appealing duet on such numbers as Bob Dorough's "I've Got Just About Everything," Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," "Better Than Anything," "My Romance" and "Takes My Breath Away." Although they would record other worthwhile albums, this is still their definitive release, jazz-oriented but also crossing over toward folk and new acoustic music.
Rothberg is one of the (few) post-Alanis women whose stance is more complicated than outraged one minute, cautiously loving the next. Her songs about relationships are complicated and often ambiguous, and she is equally unflinching in her descriptions of the successes and failures she has witnessed. Strongly rooted in the singer/songwriter aesthetic of one woman and her guitar, the songs on Between the 1 and the 9 are fleshed out a bit with other instruments but retain their edge. The biggest surprise here is in the maturity of her voice, which gives the songs their immediacy and intimacy.
With a voice that is capable of convincingly interpreting virtually any style of material, Patti Austin is one of the most astoundingly gifted singers of her generation. Here Patti caresses twelve timeless melodies with great sensitivity and emotional depth, taking the listener on a warmly romantic journey. Intimate Patti Austin is the first in Mosaic Contemporary’s Intimate Series, presenting the "best of the best" ballad interpretations from an artist's entire recorded output for several labels. From her wonderful version of the classic Stylistics hit “Stop, Look, Listen” to the first recording of the now standard Ivan Lins/Alan & Marilyn Bergman gem “The Island”, this collection takes the listener through the many passionate feelings of love found, lost, and renewed.