Linda Ronstadt: Hummin' to Myself CD Track Listing

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Linda Ronstadt Hummin' to Myself (2004)
Originally Released November 9, 2004\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Beginning with her 1983 album What's New, Linda Ronstadt broke away from the pop/rock world and collaborated with Nelson Riddle on a trilogy of traditional pop standards that were confidently performed and well-received. Riddle's satiny arrangements swirled around Ronstadt's rich voice as she played the kind of demure chanteuse who might have been headlining at a fashionable nightclub back in the day. The albums were lush and beautifully crafted but by the third album the formula had become tired and the novelty had worn thin. Twenty years later another fading rocker, Rod Stewart, recorded his own highly successful standards trilogy and perhaps it was his success that spurred Ronstadt to revisit the traditional pop catalog once again. Hummin' to Myself is basically a throwback to her albums that were throwbacks when first recorded. This time around Ronstadt and arranger Alan Broadbent dispense with the full orchestra in favor of a smaller big band-style combo and this setting actually works in her favor. As a rock vocalist, Ronstadt could growl with the best and there was a certain spark in songs like "Get Closer" that let a listener know that this pretty woman had a slightly naughty side. That spark was appropriately missing from the Riddle albums and with Hummin' she has a chance to incorporate a little of her rock bawdiness into her selection of standards. She does this to perfection on "Never Will I Marry," as Frank Loesser's jazzy tune showcases a performance that is sassy and one of Ronstadt's best covers. To a lesser extent, the title track and "Get Out of Town" have some zest to them, but even with the lighter arrangements, her reliance on ballads like "Cry Me a River" and "I'll Be Seeing You" take up the majority of space and bog down the disc. Even her down-tempo version of "Miss Otis Regrets" completely stifles the song's comedic, yet tragic, story line. Ronstadt was on to something when she dispensed with Riddle's orchestrations in favor of Broadbent's big-band arrangements, but the spunk shown in a few tunes isn't enough to fully carry the disc. However, with its different approach Hummin' to Myself is quite possibly Linda Ronstadt's most successful standards outing. -- Aaron Latham \n \nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nWhat is it about erstwhile '60s rock stars nearing 60 that draws them to standards? Just as Rod Stewart has mined the works of Styne & Cahn and Cole Porter for his bankable (if heavy-handed) Great American Songbook series, so, too, has Linda Ronstadt turned to pop classics in the autumn of her career. Of course, Ronstadt has been here before, having enlisted Nelson Riddle to guide her through three standards collections in the '80s. With Hummin' to Myself, the peripatetic vocalist eschews the robust big-band arrangements that marked What's New and its offspring for small-ensemble treatments of the likes of "Miss Otis Regrets" and "Day Dream." With either Alan Broadbent or Warren Bernhardt at the keys and Bob Mann, Christian McBride, and Lewis Nash making up the rhythm section on most tracks, Ronstadt gets more than capable instrumental support from some seasoned jazz pros, and while she won't make anyone forget Ella Fitzgerald, she brings her distinctive brand of brass to "Never Will I Marry" and "Get Out of Town." Meanwhile, she eases through languid takes of "I Fall in Love Too Easily" and "Cry Me a River," the latter borrowing considerably from Julie London's defining version, but substituting melancholy for London's playful sultriness. --Steven Stolder \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThe Real Thing, November 27, 2004\nReviewer: Gaston Peeters (Belgium)\nIn the mid-eighties Linda Ronstadt,at the time the arguably most famous woman in rock,took the world by surprise when she recorded a trilogy of albums filled with pre-rock pop and jazz standards under the guidance of legendary conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle(of to name but a few,Frank Sinatra,Nat "King" Cole and Judy Garland fame). All three albums reached platinum status and introduced this great music to an entire new generation of music lovers. Now,with "Hummin'To Myself" Linda makes her return to the Great American Songbook. Not that she ever left this type of music behind,because she has kept on singing these songs in concert ever since,making the predictable remarks that she's now only jumping on the bandwagon created by Rod Stewart misinformed at best and just plain meanspirited at worst. \n\nAnyway,"Hummin'To Myself" is quite different from the Riddle trilogy in that on these Linda was accompanied by an orchestra,and were more of the traditional pop variety,whereas on "Hummin'" Linda is accompanied by a small ensemble of expert musicians and qualifies as a "pure" jazz album. This does not mean that all of a sudden Linda starts scatting,or that she has become an improviser. On the contrary,Linda always stays close to the melody "as it is written" and uses the extraordinary beauty of her voice to demonstrate in a quite un-demonstrative way (contrary to what we are used to from so many power-ballad divas these days) how gorgeous these songs really are. More or less the same approach as that of,say,Jane Monheit or even Ella Fitzgerald on most of her songbook albums. \n\nIt has to be said that Linda has grown A LOT as a singer of this type of music since the days of her Riddle albums. Although those were not without merit,Linda sometimes sounded a tiny bit out of her element and stiff on occasion. No such problems here though. If you didn't know any better you would think that the lady has sung this music all of her life. It's in the uptempo material that her progress is the most spectacular. On Tracks like "Never Will I Marry" and "Get Out Of Town" she swings harder and with much more confidence than she did on any of the Riddle stuff. \n\nThe ballads are brilliant too. Songs like "Tell Him I Said Hello","Miss Otis Regrets" and "Cry Me A River" are beautifully phrased and benefit greatly from the gorgeous and creamy sound of Linda's voice. This is not the music of a rock singer who tries to sing jazz. This is a "valid" jazz album by one of the best singers of the last 40 years. \n\nMuch,but not all of the praise must go to Ronstadt. The arrangements by Alan Broadbent (who also plays the piano) are attractive and varied,and the musicianship from the instrumentalists is first class throughout. Clearly a labour of love from all those involved. Warmly recommended! \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nRonstadt "Hums" to a New Standard of Greatness, November 24, 2004\nReviewer: T. Yap "thy4568" (Brawley, California USA)\nPrime Cuts: I've Never Been in Love Before, I'll Be Seeing You, Tell Him I Said Hello \n\n"Humming to Myself" is the latest addition to the burgeoning canon of standards undertaken by graying performers of yesteryears. Aside from Rod Stewart's chartbuster "Stardust," Olivia Newton-John, Anne Murray, Alison Moyet, Crystal Gayle, Chaka Khan and even rapper Queen Latifah have all dappled in the same foray. What sets Ronstadt's latest effort apart from her contemporaries are the nuances she brings to these evergreen chestnuts. As a vocalist nonpareil, Ronstadt does not just sing. Rather, she demonstratively shows that she has command over these paeans. Breathing life into each note, this former Grammy winner knows how to caress each syllable with just the right dosage of emotion in a lissome way. This has resulted in one of Ronstadt's most copacetic release since her folk/pop classic "We Ran." \n\nThough Ronstadt's has cut Frank Loesser's "Never Will I Marry" before, this third time's really the charmer. Listen especially to how Ronstadt lets loose as she raises the roof with declamation on this anthem of romantic despair. Loesser's repertoire gets another stab with the cover of the ballad "I've Never Been in Love Before." The innocuously romantic lyrics of this tune harkens to a musical era where lyrics were more than just an afterthought and music was an art rather than about chart positions. Similarly, two of Cole Porter's classics are revived: on the dark "Miss Otis Regrets," Ronstadt's stately and understated reading ushers in an air of mystery so apropos to this tale of heartbreak turned murderous. Much more vivacious is Porter's lesser known "Get Out of Town" where Ronstadt's performance is sheer exuberance. \n\nEasily, the crowning jewel has to be the oft-covered "I'll Be Seeing You." Unlike her albums with the late Nelson Riddle where a lush orchestra provides the musical background, here (as on the rest of the album) a simple jazzy ensemble accompanies Ronstadt. This has advantageously place the spotlight on Ronstadt's vocals. Prepare for some spine chilling moments as Ronstadt soars towards the crescendo of the song. On the other hand, the lesser known "Blue Prelude" has a more torpid reading which could easily pass muster in any late night bar. "Tell Him I Said Hello," a track Ronstadt wanted to cut since her Nelson Riddle days, is emotionally riveting. Dealing with the complexities of emotions generated from meeting her ex-paramour again, "Tell Him I Said Hello" is such a slice of life that will definitely resonate with all who have had suffered a broken heart. \n\nCredit also has to be given to Hollis King and Rocky Schneck for designing and photographing respectively one of Ronstadt's most elegant looking albums. In this day and age where artists appear more or less like porn stars, this album sleeve is just beautifully designed with class and dignity. Needless to say, the cover mirrors its content: this is definitely one of Ronstadt's finest albums to date. An album that will keep you humming to yourself!\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nAn OK album...OK for Linda, that is, November 18, 2004\nReviewer: Rod Reviewer (VA USA)\nAny and all mainstream pop artists on the radio today would be proud to call this CD (and the accompanying voice) their own. Clearly, Linda Ronstadt does sound better on this CD than she did on her last "proper" studio album (which excludes "A Merry Little Christmas"), which was 1998's "We Ran". Back then, Linda sounded exhausted and disinterested. At least on this CD, she sings with more pep and interest, but the song choices (similarly on WR) are rather boring and uninspired. Don't get me wrong: Ronstadt still has a commanding voice; but after the 2nd song, I found myself having a hard time distinguising one song from the previous one. It starts out great with "Tell Him I Said Hello"--but quickly fades into a string of rather boring material. I am glad Linda put out a new CD--especially when I keep hearing rumors of her retirement. I just wish she would choose material that would get her great voice back on mainstream radio. She still clearly has the power to blow away any of the younger diva-wanabe's on today's mainstream radio.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nunique for her , November 16, 2004\nReviewer: A congregational leader (from Dayton, Ohio)\nWell, this isn't really like any other Ronstadt recording. Some folks may compare it to her earlier work with, say, Nelson Riddle. But those were full orchestrations. Here she uses a small jazz group, piano based. Picture here singing with Brad Mehldau or Fred Hersch. Her voice is superb, the arrangements as good. As Ronstadt gets older her voices has lost none of its virtues and she keeps getting her phrasing better and better. And the subtle dynamics between piano, bass, guitar, percussion and occasional horns/woodwinds, make this recording one of a kind. She nails the opening song, "Tell Him I Said Hello" - makes it her own and never looks back. This is the kind of recording that Diana Krall and Norah Jones seek to make. They are wonderfully talented. This recording, however, leads the way. It's okay to follow when the one up ahead is on such a golden path. \n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nAlan Broadbent, Contributing Artist\nChristian McBride, Contributing Artist\nDavid "Fathead" Newman, Contributing Artist\nWarren Bernhardt, Contributing Artist\nAlbert Schmitt, Engineer\nGeorge Massenburg, Producer\nJohn Boylan, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel include: Linda Ronstadt (vocals); Larry Koonse, Bob Mann (guitar); Eugene Drucker (violin); Dan Block (clarinet); David "Fathead" Newman, Jim Horn (tenor saxophone); Jon-Erik Kellso, Steven Bernstein (trumpet); Roy Hargrove, Mike Haynes (flugelhorn); Alan Broadbent, Warren Bernhardt (piano); Christian McBride, Trey Henry (bass instrument); Lewis Nash, Peter Erskine (drums).\n\nAdditional guest personnel: Roy Hargrove; Peter Erskine.\n\nRecording information: Clubhouse, Rhinebeck, New York; Capital Studios, Hollywood, CA; Oxford Sound, Nashville, TN.\n\nSuccessful careers that stretch over multiple decades are hardly accidents. For interpretive singers, the keys are juggling genres, selecting appropriate material, and working with compassionate collaborators. Linda Ronstadt, who scored her first hit in 1968, gets high marks in all these categories, and 2004's HUMMIN' TO MYSELF, an album of standards, is no exception. On the gentle swing of "Blue Prelude," the brassy declarations of "Never Will I Marry," and the tongue-in-cheek pathos of "Miss Otis Regrets," Ronstadt's warm, familiar alto fronts a top-shelf small jazz combo. Notable contributors along the way include tenor saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, pianist Warren Bernhardt, and drummer Peter Erskine. Alan Broadbent's arrangements are sparkling mini-essays in thoughtful restraint--a Roy Hargrove flugelhorn solo here, a punchy blues touch there ("Get Out of Town"), as well as a lone cello or violin peeking through on occasion--giving the album its surefooted underpinning. YEAR: 2004
This misc cd contains 11 tracks and runs 37min 19sec.
Freedb: 8c08bd0b
Buy: from Amazon.com

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