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Amazon.co.uk Review
The angelic half of Simon & Garfunkel may seem predictable in following Rod Stewart and other Baby Boomers on a romp through the Great American Songbook, but Art would have us think his foray is more inspired, more poetic than that, as he sprinkles the inside of his CD jacket with a series of confessional statements. In the first, he informs us he made the album under the "sway" of Chet Baker and Johnny Mathis, and in the second gives even pretentious novelist Jeanette Winterson a run for her money: "It wasn't Monet, it was France; It's not what we say, but the dance we're in." All right, then, but Some Enchanted Evening should also come with a warning sticker: Do not play while operating heavy machinery. In a cotton-soft voice, Garfunkel, whose famous hair now looks like a giant dandelion gone to seed, moves through works by Johnny Mercer, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, and Rodgers and Hammerstein as if he's the spokesperson for Prozac Nation. One may applaud his Everyman's approach to material "owned" by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Rosemary Clooney, but he has tried to build a bridge over... well, not troubled, but complex and emotionally swirling waters, and in this framework, he simply hasn't the phrasing or the interpretative moxie to pull it off. When he sings "I'm so in love" on "Easy Living," he's so passionless he might as well be wooing a canary; likewise, his take on "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" sounds positively lobotomized. Producer Richard Perry (Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Garfunkel's own 1975 Breakaway) tries to compensate by updating the approach--employing synth strings, for example, instead of an orchestra--and tweaking the arrangements with contemporary fusion. But even that is wrong-headed: A pedal steel guitar should not be in the same universe with a clarinet. What were they thinking? --Alanna Nash
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is the nearest someone like Art Garfunkel is ever going to get to recording a concept album!
The 13 tracks on offer celebrate the greatest composers of the 20th century and include some fantastic re-workings of classics and standards.
From the opening "I Remember You" (made famous by Frank Ifield) which features great Larry Adler-esque harmonica Art effortlessly warbles his way through some great tunes delivering them with meltingly smoochy ease.
The album should have been saved for a summer release as it's style is redolent of mediterranean nights and hot summers, it would be great on a lazy day on the beach or in the garden.
While for someone of Garfunkels repertoire and experience this is almost money for old rope, there's enough about it to recommend it to fans of the man and the genre alike, in fact track 12 "What'll I do" is perhaps one of the most touching vocal interpretations I've ever heard.
In short, buy it and enjoy.
The 13 tracks on offer celebrate the greatest composers of the 20th century and include some fantastic re-workings of classics and standards.
From the opening "I Remember You" (made famous by Frank Ifield) which features great Larry Adler-esque harmonica Art effortlessly warbles his way through some great tunes delivering them with meltingly smoochy ease.
The album should have been saved for a summer release as it's style is redolent of mediterranean nights and hot summers, it would be great on a lazy day on the beach or in the garden.
While for someone of Garfunkels repertoire and experience this is almost money for old rope, there's enough about it to recommend it to fans of the man and the genre alike, in fact track 12 "What'll I do" is perhaps one of the most touching vocal interpretations I've ever heard.
In short, buy it and enjoy.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It was Art Garfunkel's angelic tenor that contributed most to the sound of Simon and Garfunkel yet his solo albums were not successful. This, I suspect, was because the material just wasn't strong enough and Art is not a songwriter like his other half. Having the voice of an earth angel is not enough to carry indifferent songs.
Where "Some Enchanted Evening" scores is in the strength of the selections. Thirteen classic American standards that are as familiar and relaxing as a pair of comfy slippers. OK, it's not the most original release this century but it has enough emotional appeal to satisfy not only Art Garfunkel fans but also those feelings of nostalgia for something from a simpler and more sedate age.
Art's voice is an instrument of great beauty and subtlety and he invests these classics with a softness and grace that is as enchanting as a summers day.
As the record ends there seems to be an emptiness. You feel compelled to play it again.
Where "Some Enchanted Evening" scores is in the strength of the selections. Thirteen classic American standards that are as familiar and relaxing as a pair of comfy slippers. OK, it's not the most original release this century but it has enough emotional appeal to satisfy not only Art Garfunkel fans but also those feelings of nostalgia for something from a simpler and more sedate age.
Art's voice is an instrument of great beauty and subtlety and he invests these classics with a softness and grace that is as enchanting as a summers day.
As the record ends there seems to be an emptiness. You feel compelled to play it again.
Format:Audio CD
WHAT A GREAT SINGER ART GARFUNKEL IS. THIS CD OF STANDARDS, "I REMEMBER YOU", "SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME", "IF I LOVED YOU" AND "LETS FALL IN LOVE", TO NAME BUT FOUR OF THE 13 TRACKS AVAILABLE. HIS CLASS SHINES THROUGH LIKE A BEACON ON A FOGGY NIGHT. GREAT ENTERTAINMENT VALUE, ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CD`s.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Art of Art
Groundbreaking - well probably not, but a very nice listen if you like Mr Garfunkel's crystal-clear, smooth as butter delivery. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Tobias A. Richards
Dreamy listening
Just loved this CD. Every song is interpreted so wonderfully. Much better than I expected.
Published 21 months ago by J. Gaddas
What was Artie thinking?
Just when Art needed an album of 'adult pop'to boost his solo career, he opted for a passionless collection of standards. Bad move. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2008 by David T. Clancy
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