Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire Music

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by: Stacey Kent

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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: Rating: - Well-chosen set by captivating jazz vocalist Stacey Kent The concept of compiling the greatest songs of the career of film legend Fred Astaire is one that has lent itself amazingly well to Stacey Kent, who turns out 13 winning takes on some of the most memorable songs from Hollywood's golden years. Kent has a unique, pseudo-vibrato singing style that soars above yet blends perfectly with the complex arrangements on "Let Yourself Go." One of the album's most admirable traits is putting the focus on the musicians, among them Kent's saxophonist husband, as much as it does on Kent's fantastic voice. While hard to single out a highlight, Kent's smoldering take on what is, in my opinion, the best Gershwin song ever written, "They Can't Take That Away," something that simply must be heard to truly be appreciated. Kent somehow inhabits the personality of every single one of these songs, from a bubbly and lithe spirit on "Shall We Dance?" to a comtemplative, confident loner on "By Myself." However, it's her peformance on "Take" that proves once and for all that Kent is, in fact, the real deal. The heartache that comes through in her vocals is something that cannot be fabricated, and the very belief that the memories Ira Gershwin vowed to hold on to many years ago will indeed stay is very much intact on this song. Other highlights include a positively finger-snapping "I Won't Dance," a terrific version of "One For My Baby," and a bossa nova "S'Wonderful" that is right up there with Diana Krall's recent rendition as the best since Julie London's whimsical one-and-a-half minute performance nearly forty years ago. An absolute must for any jazz fan nostalgic for the heyday of Ella, Sarah, Billie, and Peggy, as well as for a rainy day. Rating: - A gem of an artist The first time I heard of Stacey Kent, I was half-listening to NPR in the morning, and they did a short feature on her and the album "Let Yourself Go." I heard snippets of "They Can't Take That Away From Me" and "'S Wonderful." I was impressed and I tried, unsuccessfully, to find her in local stores. Then I came to college, and the college library had the album. I listened to it while doing calculus and was thrilled, by Stacey Kent that is, not the math. She sings the story and not just the song. She sounds as if she is feeling all the emotions in the songs, whether they be sorrow, wistfulness, or carefree abandon. Each song on this album is worth five stars, but my favorites are the two that I originally heard on the radio, "Isn't This A Lovely Day," and "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket." Don't miss out on this album just because you think you don't like jazz. My friend says she doesn't like jazz but she likes Stacey Kent. So don't think genre, think darn good music. Rating: - For lovers of music from the Astaire era.... This third CD from Stacey Kent covers songs performed by Fred Astaire. This presents an interesting analogy. Fred Astaire, as a dancer, was far more about "feel" or "class" than he was about technique (although he obviously had that too). What made him such a wonderful dancer was his ability to make the dance seem effortless and flowing, when in reality if any of us (in the 'audience') tried the same movement we'd most likely be involuntarily rearranging the furniture with our clumsiness. In his best dancing, he worked within the song and within the choreography, expressing something simple and elegant, without overemphasizing or showing off what he could do. He just flowed. Stacey Kent is much the same way even at this early stage in her career. I've sat for hours trying to analyze why I like her so much, and I gave up. Sure, she's got a wonderfully clear and well pitched voice. And yes, she has great phrasing and doesn't feel a need to show off with vocal pyrotechnics. But I think the key to it all is what she does so bloody well is just sing the dang song, to the point that you no longer care about the technical aspects of it and just listen and FEEL the song. I should change that and say her and her band just play the song, and as Astaire flowed, they flow, and you are along for the journey. Her sidemen, including her husband Jim Tomlinson on sax and clarinet, and especially the insanely talented David Newton on piano, just "know" where to be, when, and how, without ever calling attention to themselves in any sort of manner. When it's time to solo, the solos patiently support the music, and aren't ego driven exercises in excess. David Newtons work particularly is reason enough to buy this CD. His ability to play a piece and then go off on some incredible venture supports, almost defines actually, the musical, classy feel of this CD. There are a lot of singers with good bands singing standards. And I'll probably buy some of them. What sets Stacey apart from the crowd is that with her work, everybody and everything is on that same proverbial (but rarely achieved) page. Thus the song + vocalist + band all add up to become greater than any of the individual elements, yet what is so downright scary is that the songs, vocalist, and band all taken seperately all can easily stand excellently on their own. But together, we're talking about rare magic. On a good system, this nicely recorded CD will make you believe you're sitting in a small cozy nightclub, Remy Martin XO in your glass, listening to Stacey whisper "One for My Baby", " 'S Wonderful", or swing out on "I Won't Dance", "Let Yourself Go" (my four favorites), or any of the other great cuts on this CD. Those critics who wish to analyze and break down the music or technique here might be best to look for something else. Stacey Kent is for enjoying and listening to music of her chosen era, the standard 'American' Songbook. If these types of songs and this musical (versus analytical) approach is your kind of thing, this CD is way highly recommeneded. I'd give it 6 stars if I could. One of the best things I've ever purchased in well over a decade.

Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire Music

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