One of the Most Underrated but Coveted Voice
598331
"Days Like This", the first single from his last album remains one of Mr. Lattimore's finest moments vocally and in overall production. It is a swirling, exciting, hypnotic slice of the best music has to offer at times. Save for the great masters who happen to also be Motown artists like Marvin, Stevie, David Ruffin, Levi Stubbs, Eddie Kendricks and Dennis Edwards, Kenny Lattimore is still awaiting the moment to match his talent. The excellent sophomore offering, "The Soul of a Man" comes close to perfection, but, Capitol Records failure to cross him over remains a glaring stumble. Pure diction like a Jeffrey Osborne often left me cold without enough emotion.
488162
I got this DVD not only because it's a one of a kind, but because the voice of this spectacular Superstar.  She will always live on thru her music.  If your fan this is a must have.
174067
in July 2013 (at a better price as of this writing). It contains considerable assets, especially Isserstedt, the Dresden Staatskapelle, Rothenberger, and Moser.  Rothenberger as Ilia
is sweet,attractive and moving. Moser as Elettra is even better-a big, powerful voice as in her
Queen of the Night for Sawallisch. She is quite fiery and emotionally overwrought but not
uncontrolled-quite similar to Julia Varady's great Elettra with Karl Bohm/Dresden. I also like the Elettra of Edita Gruberova for Pritchard ( JP was a great and unsung Mozartean). My favorite Ilias
remain Barbara Hendricks and Margherita Rinaldi for Colin Davis, Edith Mathis for Bohm,  Rothenberger, and especially Lucia Popp for Pritchard. Gedda was in relatively good voice here, retaining some lustre from the 1950s
when I think he peaked sonically. I admit to not enjoying his voice, but chacun. Here I prefer
Araiza for Davis and Ochman for Bohm.  Both Schreier and Dallapozza are worthy, with Scheier in
slightly better voice than for Bohm later. This EMI performance wears well.
 Peers: Pritchard/Decca (with Popp/Gruberova/Pavarotti); Davis Philips I (with Shirley, Tinsley and Rinaldi); Davis/Philips II (with Araiza and Hendricks); Bohm/Dresden/DG (with Ochman, Mathis and Varady -see my review)
2530296
Michael Prophet is or perhaps was at his prime during this recording.

If you like Black Uhuru's best version of a lead singer, Michael Rose, or Barrington Levy's vamping style, you should find Michael Prophet a real hidden gem at his 1980's English Jamaican reggae prime.

His  "crying" lead singer voice backed by the Roots Radics band, vamping appeal and echoing dub background makes this artist ONE OF A Kind

If you discovered the coolness of Scientists 1980's dubs done in comic book style, you can really unlock the secret behind those gems in none other than English Jamaican Michael Prophet. The video game Grand Theft Auto popularized Scientist dubs in the United States almost two decades after their original 80:s release and we're truly ahead of their time in coolness. Rock on, rocker's
630405
From the first time I watched "Sharpe's Rifles" the voice of John Tams stood out as one of the best voices I have ever heard for traditional music.  His voice is hauntingly beautiful, and at it's best with minimal instrumentation.  This album delivers John Tams' voice at it's (almost) best, something I didn't find on his CDs "Home" and "Unity", however it is marred by the use of too many instruments.  The songs are all beautiful and well done, but if you're looking for the sparse and amazing style exhibited in the movies, you won't find it here.  Also, The marches I find almost grating(after I bought the CD I  burned it without the marches).  This CD also features the voice of Kate Rusby, another talented singer.

Even with the negatives I gave this CD 4 stars, because it is so enjoyable to listen to!!  I reccomend it to anyone who likes Sharpe's or traditional music.  It is definetely worth the money!!
4787996
There are no accolades that can miss this singer.  One of the greatest voices in music history for somone who started out not wanting to sing.  One night the singer of the group didn't show up, Nat took over, and the rest is Capital Records history (The House That Nat Built).  If music was not catagorized I would rate Nat as one of the top 2 male singers in the world, based on his versatility delivery, and smooth voice.  Not a crack to be found unless it was left in the studio.  And we didn't hear it.
1721556
Two reasons to buy this CD:

The maturity of her voice.  It takes not years but decades to develop the phrasing, delivery and power she shows here.  Just enough vibrato and Alabama-twang to put the song across yet the ability to stay on-key and on-message while softly delivering it.  The other musicians are some of the best in the business and play what is necessary to highlight her voice and deliver the song.  Those criticising this CD for being not uptempo enough or too heart-on-her-sleeve should listen to it again for what it is, a minimalist masterpiece in a world of pop overhype.

The terrific sound. Some other people must think she can sing, because the production group is also made up of some of the best in the business.  Although recorded and mastered on the soft side, so that it sounds good on inexpensive electronics (try playing it in your DVD player over the television speakers to see what I mean), it still has better presence and detail than 99% of the mass music out there and none of the pop music artifacts - reverb, overdub, etc.
113306
The fantastic voice, heart and soul of SMALL FACES and HUMBLE PIE surprisingly travels through the electronic jungle to take a crack at an interesting and diverse set of cover material.  And while the results are only slightly above average, his readings of the FLEETWOOD MAC'S classic "Oh Well", and the mid '60's R & B dance hit "The Clapping Song" are great fun.  Also, his takes on the TALKING HEADS "Life During Wartime" and CURTIS MAYFIELD'S (IMPRESSIONS) sultry "Gypsy Woman" show the incredible range of emotion and passion for which he was always capable.  A treasured discovery for any Marriott fan!
67260
Staffors's voice has a creamy tonal beauty that make her singing immensely listenable. Her strength's as a singer are particularly evident in the many love song from the forties where the sultry yearning behind the lyrics and lush orchestration are a perfect medium for Stafford's lustrous tone and superb breath control. There is nothing forced or melodramatic in her approach to a song; she has none of the affectations common to many singers of the day and delivers a solid beautifully crafted performance on each piece. Frank Sinatra was one of her biggest fans and its not hard to hear why. My favourites? Autumn In New York; Walkin' My Baby; Haunted Heart; Georgia; Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart. There are some forgettable songs here that do no justice to Stafford's talent or the history of the popular song, but these are the exception. A great intro to an underated singer.
4485012
It doesn't often happen that a release gets so much unanimous enthusiastic praise from both critics and audiences alike, particularly if the release is from an independent company and the singer is not a heavily promoted "star". But here it is - Sandrine Piau's Handel recital on Naive seems to be outshining many vocal releases of the past year (it was released in 2004) and the reason for this stir is simple: it is a stupendous disc from a great singer who deserves a wider recognition.

Everything is special here, even the cover. In an era when so many solo recitals try to attract us through flashy covers (and often not much more inside), Piau is courageous enough to appear in what may well be one of the most unflattering cover photos ever made. Through this photo, Piau seems to be making a bold statement: "I am not a cover girl, I am an artist".

And what an artist! Every phrase in this recital is delivered with utmost honesty and spectacular technical assurance, nothing is calculated or contrived. What is even more important, every Handelian heroine portrayed here is vividly brought to life. There is not a moment of monotony or routine - the selections cover a variety of moods and allow the artist to display not only her stupendous technique but also phenomenal interpretative gifts.

It is impossible to get tired of Piau's singing! Her voice and singing style should appeal to both camps of opera lovers: devotees of the HIP movement and those who are afraid of HIP because of the stigma of "white, bland voices" that became a trademark of the movement. Piau's voice is small and delicate, but there is nothing "white" or bland about it. It is a gorgeous instrument, flexible and colourful, able to convey a wide range of emotions without resorting to "special effects".

It is of course tempting to compare Piau's recital with the other highly popular Handel discs of 2004 (by Lorraine Hunt, Sarah Connolly, Renee Fleming) but comparisons don't really make much sense here for each of those recitals has its own virtues and each singer her own faithful audience. Yet Piau's disc risks being overlooked in the USA since the French soprano is not quite a household name here (in spite of some marvellous solo recitals in her discography). Let's hope this fantastic new disc will change this. (Kicek)
2002215
Serena Ryder has an absolutely amazing voice. Her live performances are tremendous and she gains more fans with every show. Her choice of material for this release is a bit odd, and - in the hands of a lesser talent - would be totally forgettable, but she is able to pull it off with her voice, a very tight (esp. Kevin Breit) supporting cast and good production.
4121740
I haven't listened to this disc, which was recorded in 1998, for quite a while but revisiting it has reminded me how stellar are the voices of both Kasarove and Florez. He was only 25 at the time but already a mature and accomplished artist and his participation in three duets adds lustre to this recital. Kasarove has an extraordinary voice: its character is instantly recognisable and will not be confused with similarly gifted contraltos, mezzos or falcon sopranos such as Podles or Horne. That she has two and a half octaves of properly registered voice is evident; it has a rather shrill, piercing quality at the top, a plummy lower register, a quick, slightly tremulous vibrato and a breathy, smoky timbre, all of which combine to make the sound very individual - much more so than, say, DiDonato. She can negotiate runs, triplets and coloratura ornamentation with ease, although the voice has little of the smile we expect in the comic Rossinian roles and she thus always sounds rather stern, even when that is not quite what we want and even when we can hear that she is attempting to apply humour to her characterisation, that is how it tends to come over: as applied. Vocally, she affords the listener enormous pleasure and I do not want to suggest that she is in any sense bland. I seem to have heard less of her in recent years but she has a very successful career, branching out from Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti into Carmen, Charlotte ("Werther") and even Oktavian ("Der Rosenkavalier").

An attractive, if not especially original, selection of arias and duets is given here; the only peculiarity is the four minute duet from "Otello" using an arrangement allowing Kasarova rather than a tenor to sing the eponymous "Moor of Venice" - and if you can swallow that, you'll swallow anything. The accompaniments and conducting are considerate and discreet; nice playing and singing from the Munich orchestra and choir caught in exemplary sound.
2718357
One of the great voices of a generation, Gene Pitney's ballads are so good and so well performed that it seems unlikely that many would have been able to master this man's talents.  I put him on top of most male singers of the time, with top notch recordings and style.  It's well worth the money.
864396
This man had some kind of voice!  If you are a fan of Frank, Nat, Mel, Tony, etc... then add this guy to that short list of greats.  How this man never became as famous as the foursome mentioned above I will never know.  All I do know is this - this guy had one of the most beautiful, rich, romantic voices I have ever heard.  It is very difficult, if not nearly impossible to express in words how wonderful of a singer this man was.  Just listen to him and see for yourself.  If you loved him on the Coltrane album (another 5-star treasure) then you will love this one almost just as much (that recording still is my favorite of all-time).  Johnny may not have been that popular with the masses, but his work is very highly respected and adored by everyone in the jazz world - critics, musicians, and fans alike.

He may not have Coltrane, Tyner, and Garrison backing him up on this one, however the cats he does have aren't too shabby - Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax), Milt Hinton (bass), Elvin Jones (once again on the drums), Jimmy Hall and Kenny Burrell (on guitars).  Not a bad line-up to say the least!  And believe me folks, Johnny and the gang all sound flawless.

This is one of those recordings that you want to dim the lights down real low, pour yourself a martini or glass of wine, sit back and reeeeeeeelax.  Or better yet, grab your gal (or guy) and let the music help take the two of you to the promised land.  As soon as the first song (Charade) comes on, you will see what I'm talking about.  I can't get enough of this one!  Also, his version of "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning" is one of the greatest I have ever heard and may even trump Old Blue Eyes himself (which is almost sacrilege for an Italian-American like myself to say!).  However, you will just have to see for yourself.

ENJOY!
4523428
Don't understand  a word he sing but his voice is mesmerizing ! Try him you'll get hooks on his smooth style and enchanting voice
4083590
This singer has one of the great voices of the 21st century.
2572839
As a former student of Miss Steber (I was in a Master Class only) I think it's marvelous that her discography is returning to availability. She was certainly one of the best and absolutely most versatile singers America has ever produced. And one of the most underrated of her era.  I knew her briefly when I was a student at the New England Conservatory in the 70's. She was close friends with my voice teacher Mark Pearson and when she was in town she would often stay with him and I would see her as I arrived for my Saturday morning lesson. She had a well publicized affinity for cocktails and sometime was still slightly tipsy. She was long retired by then but gave several recitals with Gunther Schuller and the NEC Orchestra. One of these was a truly extraordinary evening of mostly Mozart. She had one of the inexplicable evenings when her voice shed 20 years and we in the audience were treated to truly brilliant singing that had no correlary even in a period with a seeming glut of marvelous sopranos. Her voice had a distinct silver clarity and bright resonance. She was one who could sing Wagner or Menotti or Barber(she was the original creator of the title role in Vanessa)and Verdi on the same day. In fact she premiered Vanessa at the last minute in the afternoon of an evening performance as Violetta in La Traviata. Her repertoire spanned 3 centuries and many divergent styles and languages, something very rare now and almost unheard of in her day. She also sang songs with a wonderful intimacy that is a rare cross-over for a great opera star. To everything she brought her acute concentration and intelligence as a musician and a deep artistry to bear. All of this is exemplified in this recording. There's no one like her around today. This is a "must have" composite live recording from several recordings including her landmark Carnegie Hall evening.