Tomorrow Today - Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau has one of music's great voices, a blend of silky highs and a warmly resonant
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midrange that's absolutely his own, and he's used it to great effect in the past with hits like "After All" and "We're in This Love Together". On his first studio recording since 1994's Tenderness, Jarreau continues to blur the lines between R&B, jazz, and pop. His skill with romantic ballads is reinforced from the outset with "Just to Be Loved" and "Let Me Love You", and the theme continues later in a soaring duet with Vanessa Williams on "God's Gift to the World". But Jarreau is never stuck in one groove. There are great funk tracks here, like the insinuating "In My Music" and "It's How You Say It", a slow groove that gives full play to his different voices. His jazz roots are apparent, too. The title track is a party of explosive Afro-Cuban beats, and "Something That You Said" is a vocal transformation of Weather Report's classic "A Remark You Made", with added details from Rick Braun's trumpet. The last track, "Puddit", is Jarreau at his most playful, an unaccompanied rendition of a Joe Sample tune with the singer clapping time to his own witty lyrics. Tomorrow Today is a perfect balance of Jarreau's soulful depths and wide-ranging creativity. --Adam Rains
All I Got - Al Jarreau
In All I Got, Al Jarreau and producer Paul Brown offer more of their trademark mix of
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smooth jazz, adult contemporary pop and urban funk. It didn't take much thought to have "Random Act of Love" open this 11-song set: cowritten my Michael Jackson's hit maker, Siedah Garrett, it is even catchier than "Just to Be Loved By You", the monster smash that powered Jarreau's last album, Tomorrow Today. Garrett also contributed to "Feels Like Heaven to Me", which, like much of this album, leans more towards pop than Jarreau's last record. Those tunes, like the title track and the ultra-romantic "Secrets of Love" and "Never Too Late", are patiently layered with vocal choirs that complement Jarreau and add power to the tracks. The title track and "Life Is" are two examples of what can only be called "Jarreau funk"--danceable bouncers where the singer exhibits his simmering-at-the-lid brand of explosiveness that keeps heads nodding and feet tapping. The more adventurous numbers include the South African-inspired "Jacaranda Bougainvillea", an a cappella version of the standard "Route 66" and the unlikely pairing with Joe Cocker on "Lost and Found". --Mark Ruffin
Advantages: Every song is different! Disadvantages: Some songs are much longer than others.
...I was first introduced to Weird Al's songs through the collection that my dad had lent me, quite some time ago. The songs were actually really different from what I had heard in the past, and really entertaining.
The actual contents of the CD range from titles like The Weird Al Show Theme to Your Horoscope For Today, and literally each and every song is completely unique and absolutely wonderful to hear.
The cover booklet is also really neat, which you'll get to see if you get the CD. It's got a picture of Al running around a track with these giant scissors.
These songs really add to my collection of songs on my computer, and of the nearly 5000 songs I have on there, these have got to be one of my favorites. I would definitely recommend this CD to fans of Weird Al's music....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Excellent stress relief Disadvantages: Too high for most people to sing along to properly!
...Having heard a few of his songs in the recent past (Tired of Being Alone - covered by Texas and Let's Stay Together - featured in the magnificent Pulp Fiction) and the inclusion of a few tasty snippets in a few episodes of Ally McBeale, I was propelled into buying this fab CD.
It has a blend of upbeat, dancy numbers and some toe-tapping ballads, but there's a part in most of the songs on this album that I just have to close my eyes to! And I don't consider myself to be an avid fan. This is my only Al Green album, but I definitely wouldn't rule out buying another!...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
...Weird Al is basically a comic genius, when he makes his music he dares to be different rather than copying the rest of these sheep called musicians. The vocal talent of Al and his team is simply phenomanal, his song writing skill is amazing and loved by comedy lovers everywhere. Weird Al often uses other peoples songs (with permission), improves them and puts excellent funny lyrics to them. His latest cd "Runnong with Scissors" is one of his best yet, comprising of many songs like "The Saga Begins" "Truck drivin' Song" and the hilarious but true "Jerry Springer". It's so funn because it's weird but true, so basically if you are in the mood for a laugh, slip this cd in and ou'll be laughing the night away....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
somewhat helpful 03.09.2000
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