Honey [Cast Recording] [Enhanced] [Soundtrack]

honey [cast recording] [enhanced] [soundtrack]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Anyone who cares about the state of beats will want this soundtrack companion to the Jessica Alba-starring hip-hop saga. The inventiveness of rhythm and sound on Honey's first half dozen or so tracks makes for its own drama and should even provide some hope to those who bemoan the genre's recent lack of boundary pushing. Missy Elliott's "Hurt Sumthin'" is a fitting start to the CD; it's another of her and Timbaland's forays into minor-key funk-exotica and a match for anything on her own albums. Rodney Jerkins' setting for Blaque's independent-women manifesto "I'm Good" stomps its percussive way to the top of the must-play list, while further offerings from Mark Ronson (with guests including Ghostface Killah) and the duo of Erick Sermon and Redman keep the progressive-party feel going. The disc's second half winds down into more standard-issue ballad fare, but even then, the flow feels correct - a natural winding down from what the first sizzling cuts began. --Rickey Wright

Honey,Various Artists,Elektra / Wea,Pop,Soundtrack,Soundtracks,Soundtracks & Film Scores

Honey [Cast Recording] [Enhanced] [Soundtrack]

South Pacific (2001 Television Soundtrack)

Average customer rating:

Oh dear me!
Mixed feelings
Fascinating "introspective" take on SOUTH PACIFIC
Not the most excellent version but not an abomination
Some shows DO NOT need a revival or a TV version!

South Pacific (2001 Television Soundtrack)
Richard Rodgers , and Oscar Hammerstein II
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
South Pacific (1958 Film Soundtrack)
Brigadoon (1957 Studio Cast)
The King and I (1992 Hollywood Studio Cast)
South Pacific (Original 1949 Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00005ARDV
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

Overture
There Is Nothin' Like A Dame
A Cock-Eyed Optimist
Bloody Mary
Bali Ha'i
Twin Soliloquies
Some Enchanted Evening
Dites-Moi
Younger Than Springtime
I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair
Some Enchanted Evening (Reprise)
A Wonderful Guy
This Nearly Was Mine
You've Got To Be Carefully Taught
Honey Bun
Finale Ultimo
My Girl Back Home (bonus track)

Amazon.com

This soundtrack captures the March 2001 ABC-TV production of South Pacific, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical of passion, danger, and racial intolerance in the Pacific islands during World War II, based on James Michener's book. Somewhat ... mature for the role of Nellie Forbush (the spunky naval nurse made famous by Mary Martin in the original Broadway cast), Glenn Close proves an adequate singer in her renditions of "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and "A Wonderful Guy."

In the men's roles, Rade Sherbedgia's voice lacks sufficient richness for Emile de Becque's ballads "Some Enchanted Evening" and "This Nearly Was Mine," while as Lt. Joe Cable, jazz-pianist-turned-crooner-turned-actor Harry Connick Jr. makes "Younger Than Springtime" suave rather than wide-eyed. Robert Pastorelli and Lori Tan Chinn are fine as Billis and Bloody Mary, respectively, and the grandly romantic score is mostly intact, missing "Happy Talk" but adding a bonus track of Connick and Close singing "My Girl Back Home," which was cut from the original production, restored for the 1958 film, and cut again for this production. If you enjoyed the television film, this might be a useful souvenir, but serious fans of the score can stick to the original Broadway cast or the complete two-disc recording from JAY. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Oh dear me!.......2006-12-07

South Pacific is my favorite musical, and always has been. I already have the original cast stage recording starring Mary Martin, but I wanted to add the original movie soundtrack starring Mitzi Gaynor, which is really my preferred version.

Unfortunately the Amazon affiliate I ordered from made a mistake and sent me this one instead, otherwise, based on poor reviews here, I would never have ordered it. So I though I would show an open mind and give it a spin anyway, but was sorely disappointed right from the get-go and had not even got halfway through the CD, before I was impelled to remove it from the disc drive. I then gritted my teeth and played it all the way through so that I could write a review.

The orchestration is weak, Glenn Close is mediocre as Nelly Forbush, and Harry Connick is really, really feeble in the lead role as Lt. Joe Cable. Quite honestly I did not realise what a weak singer he is until I heard this. I think maybe I could do as well. Rade Sherbedgia as Emile sounds like a second-rate attempt to mimic Maurice Chevalier, but without the charm.

The singing of Bali Hai (in which Juanita Hall's vocals are is so beautifully overdubbed by Muriel Smith in the movie version) was so-so, and to add insult to injury one of my favorite songs, Happy Talk, is omitted altogether.

I very rarely write such a negative review, but clearly if you want a good recording of South Pacific, either the movie soundtrack or the original cast albums are the way to go. I have also listened to the Reba McIntyre version, but in my opinion her whisky-and-cigarettes voicings are quite unsuited to the ingenue role of Nelly.

Perhaps I am a little harsh. After all this album contains plenty of enjoyable listening, but I am assuming that the point of reading reviews is to determine what is the best purchase, and the fact is that this is only a television soundtrack and that it is in competition with two of the most beloved of all stage and screen soundtrack recordings.

If you listened to this without knowing who the performers were, you would just think that it was a cheap cover version.

So even if copies of this are available so cheaply as to be almost free, it is probably worth while to fork out a few dollars more to get one of the definitive versions, parts of which are so beautiful they will bring tears to your eyes. I would get the movie soundtrack.

Mixed feelings.......2005-05-03

If you only want one version of "South Pacific", go for the Broadway cast recording. This one has its merits, but it falls short. Glenn Close handles her parts quite well and is the saving grace of this CD. Most other aspects of the recording are disappointing. The worst mistake, I think, was the inclusion of the altered, muted versions of several numbers, including the title theme.

Fascinating "introspective" take on SOUTH PACIFIC.......2004-02-08

The 1949 original Broadway cast is as definitive a recording of the original version as we'll ever likely get.

Though the stage show was one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's biggest hits, the script has not aged well. It is overlong and lacking in subtleness. The 1958 film, despite the beautiful scenery, is played woodenly.

So, in 2000, ABC TV and Glen Close produced a new TB film with a new script that weaves in most of the songs and situations of the original play while at the same time fleshing out the characters and making them more realistic.

Is the film a complete success? Well, no. For starters Glen Close is too old for the role of Nellie. She does act it well, however, and she sings with a characterful chest voice though I do detect some of her high notes might be dubbed. I have just re-watched the movie and don't find her all that objectionable. She sounds like she is having fun cutting loose in "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and "A Wonderful guy."

Rade Sherbedgia certainly looks the part of DeBecque but since we are so used to hearing robust Bass singers in the role, his softly sung arias take a good deal of getting used to. Instead of an outpouring of emotion in "this Nearly Was Mine" he offers a more introspective take on the role. It's actually a good idea and might work better with a stronger singer.

Harry Connick Jr acts the part of Cable quite well and shades the characters different emotions. True he is more of New Orleans than Philadelphia, and like the others he tends to pull the big musical moments inward. It is most effective in the scene after he first makes love to Liat and croons a tender "Younger Than Springtime." This is everything that the sung ought to be... passionate, sexy and filled with wonder. This is a young man caught off guard by true love for the first time and Connick communicates that brilliantly. His "crooning" is not wildly out-of-place and certainly in keeping with the types of singers he would have heard at home. Some scenes later he performs a remarkably understated "Carefully Taught" having played the intense anger in the dialogue scene that precedes the song. The result is more a case of Cable realizing what he is saying than just spitting out an angry indictment. It may not be the way it was originally done, but you can't argue with its effectiveness.

In re-writing the screenplay, the scenes and songs were re-arranged from their traditional order. In this new version we see the first meeting of Nellie and Emile at an officers club dance, and the song "A Cockeyed Optimist" is used in this sequence to establish Nellie's outlook. It's part of her charm and clearly attracts DeBecque. The structure also allows the first two scenes of the musical to unfold simultaneously.

Anyone considering a Broadway revival of SOUTH PACIFIC might do well to examine the TV film for its style and construction. There might indeed be a way to make the story work for modern audiences, clearing away some of the hoary old jokes and developing character instead.

As for the CD, well if you do not like the performances in the film you won't like the CD, but if you like the new film you will enjoy the CD which is essentially a straight transfer from the film's soundtrack.

Not the most excellent version but not an abomination.......2004-01-04

The 2001 version of South Pacific with Glenn Close as Nellie Forbush, Harry Connick as Joe Cable and Rade Sherbedgia as Emile has some nice moments. The overture was expansive though not as much involving as the original. Glenn Close should dispense common notions that she cannot sing as she shows tremendous vocal pipes here. But as big a fan as I am of Glenn Close, I just think she is perfect for Norma Desmond songs (or a musical dedicated to the travails of Cruella De Ville). Nellie Forbush is not really her thing. "A Wonderful Guy" is a great song, but she sounded a bit old here where she should be an ingenue. "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" was much much better. Rade Sherbedgia did not have Ezio Pinza's range but his speech-voice gives a touching vulnerability to Emile. Emile was sung by Ezio Pinza and even Jose Carreras, but Rade reminded me a lot of Jon Voight who did Stanley Kowalski in one "A Streetcar Named Desire" adaptation. They both imbued a touching fragility to a character without diminishing his machismo. I am also a fan of Harry Connick, but his cloudy jazz vocal did not really flesh out Joe Cable the way Mandy Patinkin did in the near-operatic version of it in 1987. Connick sounds uncomfortable singing songs with long vocal lines. Note his initially interesting take of "Younger Than Springtime" with righteous world-weariness, then listen how the song became more like a study in geriatric plea for the hand of a maiden in the end. He fared better in "You've Got To Be Taught", but he scored major points in the last song where he duetted with Glenn Close, called "The Girl Back Home" that was not in the original production (I think). Both complemented each other. Connick longing, Close appropriately ingenuous.

Bloody Mary and the one sho sang her did not make me forget Juanita Hall's or Sarah Vaughan's versions of "Bali Ha'i". Vaughan in particular gave an unsurpassable version of "Happy Talk" in the 1987 recording.

Nice album, just the same, but I guess, people should be advised to get the Ezio Pinza-Mary Martin album or the Rosanno Brazzi-Mary Martin album or even the Kiri Te Kanawa-Jose Carreras version first before this.

Some shows DO NOT need a revival or a TV version!.......2003-11-11

Whoever cast Glenn Close as Nellie Forbush owes her a huge apology because it was nothing short of an act of cruelty. She was wrong, wrong, wrong for the part and she knew it--it shows in her wooden and totally unbelievable performance. This Rodgers and Hammerstein masterpiece did not need a shoddy made-for-TV version--the original movie was perfect and did not need anyone to try and duplicate the magic of it. Most of the soul was sucked out of it in this crappy TV production and equally yucky soundtrack. What an abomination. That whirring sound is Richard and Oscar spinning in their graves.

Chicago: Music from the Hit Stage Play and Movie

Average customer rating:

A great budget release!
A mistery, but not that bad.

Chicago: Music from the Hit Stage Play and Movie

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chicago (Widescreen Edition)
Chicago
Chicago - The Musical (1996 Broadway Revival Cast)
Chicago - A Musical Vaudeville (1975 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000092Q58
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Tracks:

All That Jazz
Funny Honey
When You're Good to Mama
Cell Block Tango
All I Care About
We Both Reached for the Gun
Roxie
I Can't Do It Alone
Mister Cellophane
Razzle Dazzle

Customer Reviews:

A great budget release!.......2006-02-24

I actually thought this was a very good budget release: having already bought the DVD, soundtrack from the movie, and original cast recording, I still wanted more: this CD is an entertaining re-record of the popular hits...sure, the cast is unknown, but I enjoyed this CD, especially at the super-cheap price: worth checking out if you are a big Chicago fan!

A mistery, but not that bad........2003-12-27

Maybe is the midi-like keyboard instead of a band, the performances that sometimes are good or even stage caliber on the vocal side but most of the times they lack of the "character spirit", or how they ended adding small parts of the Broadway Revival album (like the Hunyak speech on the Cell Block Tango) but after hearing this album you are totally puzzled for the lack of information about the performers, and how good this album could be if they'd fixed the metioned problems.

Only knowing that it was recorded in London in December of 2001 from a 'Live' performance (that actually could be a "one-take session on a studio" performance), when in some moments the female leads sounded a bit like the West End stars, Ute Lemper as Velma and Ruthie Henshall as Roxie, and in others it seems that just one lady is doing all the parts in the Cell Block Tango, and just one man did We Both Reached For The Gun (including the Mary Sunshine and Roxie parts), the MIA liner notes and not being listed on the label's website give to much room for speculation, you can even think is a sort of a demo recording, if you want to listen to something different and you're a die-hard Chicago fan, give it a chance.

Lost in Boston III
Average customer rating:

Another fine addition to the series

Lost in Boston III
Various Artists - Soundtracks , Cy Coleman , Stephen Flaherty , Frank Loesser , Ralph Martin Hugh / Blane , Richard Rodgers , Harvey Schmidt , Stephen Sondheim , Charles Strouse , Jule Styne , Meredith Willson , Tom Fay , Dan Shaheen , Debbie Gravitte , Dennis Kelley , Gannon McHale , Guy Haines , Harry Groener , Jason Graae , Lindsay Ridgeway , Liz Callaway , Liz Larsen , Lynne Wintersteller , Lynnette Perry , Malcolm Gets , Michele Pawk , Patricia Ben Peterson , Paul Blankenship , Rebecca Luker , Rod Raines , Sal Viviano , Sarah Chapman , Tammy Minoff , Tim Ewing , Walter Willison , and Steve Orich
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Unsung Musicals II (Studio Cast)

Unsung Musicals - The Ultimate Collection

Unsung Musicals III (Studio Cast)

ASIN: B0000014VK
Release Date: 1995-04-25

Tracks:

Gypsy: Mama's Talkin' Soft - Lindsay Ridgeway/Sarah Chapman
Guys & Dolls: Travelin' Light - Malcolm Gets
Meet Me In St. Louis: A Bell Will Ring - Patricia Ben Peterson
Seesaw: Big Fat Heart - Debbie Shapiro Gravitte
Sweet Charity: Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10 - Lynne Wintersteller
The Music Man: You Don't Have To Kiss Me Goodnight - Lynnette Perry/Sal Viviano
110 In The Shade: Inside My Head - Ton Raines
She Loves Me: Tell Me I Look Nice - Rebecca Luker
Where's Charley?: The Bee - Guy Haines
Bye, Bye, Birdie: Older And WIser - Michelle Pawk/Tammy Minoff
Flower Drum Song: My Best Love - Dennis Kelley
Where's Charley?: Your Own College Band - Walter Willison/Paul Blankenship/Tim Ewing/Gannon McHale/Dan Shaheen
Merrily We Roll Along: Honey - Liz Callaway/Jason Graae
Oklahoma!: When I Go Out Walkin' With My Baby - Liz Larsen/Harry Groener
Once On This Island: When Daniel Marries - La Chanze
Seesaw: Pick Up The Pieces - Michelle Nicastro

Customer Reviews:

Another fine addition to the series.......2001-02-13

After a bit of a slip with the second, this series was back on track with this third CD of songs cut from well-known musicals. As I mentioned in a previous review, just about any successful musical has had songs cut from it, not always because the song wasn't good, but because it no longer fit the show as updated, or a character or scene was cut (the booklet explains why each song was removed from its show). Once again, the songs are all good and the performances are wonderful. My favorites are "Mama's Talking Soft" (cut from Gypsy), "Big Fat Heart" (Seesaw), "Your Own College Band" (Where's Charley?), "When I Go Out Walkin' with my Baby" (Oklahoma!), and "Pick Up the Pieces" (also Seesaw). Bruce Kimmel was smart in using show singers instead of pop singers. I recommend the entire series. This CD features some fine songs that deserve renewed appreciation.

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