Andy Williams - Alone Again / Solitaire

List Price: $14.97
Our Price: $10.31
You Save: $4.66 (31%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Music CD
See more CD details

CD Details

Music reviews of Alone Again / Solitaire

Music Review: Before it was "hip" to do covers, there was Andy WIlliams
Rating: 5 Stars

In the 1970's, Williams alienated many of his Moon River fans and made me an even bigger one (although I was only 13 at the time) by recording albums with covers of both top ten and more obscure contemporary songs. ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) was recorded in 1972 and featured such unlikely fare as Pieces of April (Loggins and Messina), I Need You (America) and Where is the Love. Most of the arrangements eschew the easy listening trappings of syrupy strings and metronome-like rhythym seections, and there's some flower-power energy in the harmonies on "I Need You" and "Pieces of April". "Amazing Grace" is a more straightforward reading, and offers pleasing a cappella passages. More interesting is the ethereal and less structured "If I Could Only Go Back", from the flop musical version of "Lost Horizon". Some very emotional singing from Andy, and an appropriate track for the middle-aged vocalist who was finding himself caught between a rock and/or an easy place. The only disappointment is a strangely timid version of The Long and Winding Road, which appears to have been recorded at a different time than the rest of the album.

"Solitaire" proved a turning point for Andy's recording career. This was a major album, produced by rock/pop guru Richard Perry. Perry pulled together some of the best studio musicians of the time, and collected an unusual variety of (mostly) little-known songs that would challenge Andy vocally. While the album is a minor masterpiece, it did not fare well commercially and left Williams to record only three more albums in the 1970s. The title track penned by Neil Sedaka works very well with Andy's upper register, backed by pedal steel guitar and some driving percussion. One of the most amazing songs on the album, the theme "Last Tango in Paris", has never been recorded by any other artist as far as I can tell. This is a brutal song to sing with a two octave range and some tight intervals. The lyrics are rich with potent imagery, and Andy brilliantly conveys the song's drama. Two other interesting and rarely heard songs, "Getting Over You" and " That Is All", stand out for their rock-oriented rhythms and haunting melodies. Again, Andy handles these with remarkable control and manages to convey the rather desperate tone of both songs. A softer song, "Remember", is a bit maudlin but does use Andy's softer upper range to good advantage. The less said about "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" the better--too slow and lush and the only misfire on the album.
If you appreciate 70's music and outstanding singing, these two albums are some of the finest ever recorded. No pretense of coolness, no sampling, no house mixes, just great musicians backing a great singer.

Description of Alone Again / Solitaire

Broadway & Vocalists CDs

• Music > Styles
• Jazz
• Pop
• Rock