Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove

by

Various Artists

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Like most of the Red, Hot releases, this CD is eclectic. The joys are found in the individual performances as opposed the the album as a whole. If you ever wondered about the african-american influences on George Gershwin, listen to Baaba Maal's take on "Bess you Is My Woman Now" it will break your heart with its beauty. Skye and Hubert Laws show us again why "Summertime" is one of the most covered songs of all time. Smoke City reinvents "They Can't Take That Away From Me" with their island, trip-hop beat. And, don't miss taking a journey with David Bowie and Angelo Badalemente on "Foggy Day" - it's moody and delicious.

If George Gerswhin heard this cd, he'd probably turn over in his grave. It's just an insult to the man's art to cover his songs by just singing over a Casio beat (refer to tracks 1, 4, 10, 12, 13, and 14). But the biggest disappointments came from the big names on the cd-- namely Natalie Merchant. Her version of "But Not for Me" is soooo boring. Even I can sing it better than she can. Sinead O'Conner didn't do much better with "Someone to Watch Over Me". The only standout track was Clark Terry's "Let's Call the Whole Think Off". Maybe it was best to give these classic songs a 90's facelift and add the drum tracks and all that programming/sampling. Smoke City's "They Can't Take That Away From Me"(song #4) and Sarah Cracknell's "The Man I Love" (song #13) are pretty good. This isn't that bad of a cd, but it could be so much better. Seems like many people liked it by all the 5-star reviews. But if you happen to buy this cd and are a little disappointed, don't be because you're still helping out a wonderful cause.