Love Walked In / Love Is Sweeping The Country
(5:35)
7
6
Swanee
(5:13)
7
7
Porgy And Bess Medley
(17:08)
7
8
Lady Be Good
(6:52)
8
About this album
In this decade of twin musical obsessions--for fond revisits to classic American composers and for all things '80s--it's a wonder Patti Austin hasn't stolen the show with a Great American Songbook set sooner. Her '80s duets--"How Do You Keep the Music Playing" and "Baby Come to Me" among them--remain indelible, and she's already proved she's a worthy interpreter with 2002's justly praised For Ella. Plus, her voice on Avant Gershwin, rich and to the rafters, suggests she's been ready to give this material a spin for decades. From the first moments of "I Got Rhythm," part of the...read moreIn this decade of twin musical obsessions--for fond revisits to classic American composers and for all things '80s--it's a wonder Patti Austin hasn't stolen the show with a Great American Songbook set sooner. Her '80s duets--"How Do You Keep the Music Playing" and "Baby Come to Me" among them--remain indelible, and she's already proved she's a worthy interpreter with 2002's justly praised For Ella. Plus, her voice on Avant Gershwin, rich and to the rafters, suggests she's been ready to give this material a spin for decades. From the first moments of "I Got Rhythm," part of the opening "Overture/Gershwin Medley," Austin swings through these songs with the ease and exuberance of a born showman; you can practically see her onstage in a slinky evening gown, arms outstretched, head back, eyes squeezed shut, surges of electric sound all around her. Her "Porgy & Bess Medley" benefits from a manufactured breeziness that suits "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing" and "Summertime" especially well, and her "Swanee" saunters closer to modern sensibilities by replacing the "mammy" of the original with a simple "momma." In addition to Austin's energy, the spirit of jazz gives these numbers juice. The WDR Big Band, which Austin has worked with previously, comes at a tune with a blend of boisterousness and sophistication, and Austin has a way of melting right in. She convincingly makes a case that she may have been born a bit late, but she was made to sing these songs.read less
/cover.jpg "Array - Things We Do For Love (Instrumentals)")
