Replies: 2 comments
American Tune is well worth the price, but it is a step down from Songbird and Imagine. Not that Eva's voice has lost any of its magic, but most of these tracks were not intended for release and they seem to suffer from a lack of confidence. They sound more as if Eva is exploring the songs than performing them. Most likely, the quality of the master tapes is also somewhat inferior to earlier CDs, as there is echo and fuzziness in some of the tracks. The liner notes mention that none of the recordings were multitrack, which makes it very difficult to improve upon the quality.
Nevertheless, Eva's voice is hypnotically lovely, and this album is no exception. The title track is the most lyrical and a worthy addition to the canon of her work. Although I disfavor Eva's recasting of the lyrics, which are less evocative than Paul Simon's original, in my opinion, others are sure to disagree with me. I particularly liked Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing" and Ray Charles' "Halleluiah I Love Him So," although that track is not well-recorded. Eva's version of "Yesterday" is her only Beatles cover, but it is not particularly noteworthy.
The nicest surprise on the album is the final track, "You Take My Breath Away." It did and does, notwithstanding the poor balance of the track.
Overall, the best way to listen to this album is to focus on Eva's voice and pretend that the rest of the cut is as clear and polished as the songs on Songbird. There is plently of worthy material on this CD -- not the heights of the previous releases, but generally solid. I'd give the album 3 1/2 stars out of five.
Posted by David G. Uffelman @ 08/18/2003 12:17 PM EST
I've played through the American Tune CD, and have been listening to "You Take My Breath Away," and "American Tune," both great tracks. I can get entralled with the whole CD yet these two tracks grab me and won't let me go.
"You Take My Breath Away," is so hypnotic like the affect of listening to "Danny Boy," This song however brings back visions of ones' romantic past. You can go all the way back to your first romance, when you fell in love, to the loves you still remember that will always be in your supressed memory. It's to be played over and over again, until those images grow deeper and deeper into your psyche. It is so beautiful. I can listen to it as if in a meditative trance. I will never tire of this song. Please don't miss, "You Take My Breath Away."
"American Tune," well, what can I say, a lot of imagery, very emotional with deep thoughts of the strengths and struggles this lifestyle requires, from America's inception, through the current identity crisis washing upon us, with the terrorists and the decision to invade Iraq. The overriding everyday responsibility of working, and making a future, to many of us, is very exhausting. Eva has nailed this song and the message is "hope." When, and if, this song eventually becomes the modern day American anthem, perhaps we can see how all those people, like Eva, who work so very hard to make a living in this country, are affected by Eva's music.
What about these songs? They have been worth the price of the album and then some. 5 Stars*
Posted by Mike @ 08/12/2003 12:28 PM EST
