Queen Latifah - The Dana Owens Album
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CD Details
Artist: Queen LatifahEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-09-28
Music Label: Interscope Records
Soundtracks:
- Baby Get Lost
- I Put a Spell on You
- Simply Beautiful
- The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
- Moody's Mood for Love
- Close Your Eyes
- California Dreamin'
- Hard Times
- Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
- Hello Stranger
- If I Had You
- Lush Life
Music reviews of The Dana Owens Album
Music Review: Chase Von's Review of The Dana Owens Album
Rating: 5 Stars
When I first heard this ladies version of "California Dreamin" I loved it! Only one problem? Who was singing it? Seemed every time I caught it on the radio I would miss the part where they said who it was by. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out it was Dana Owens, AKA Queen Latifah! Over the years I've been quite impressed with this Lady! She continues to grow as an artist and a soul and it is apparent to me she has been blessed with a myriad of gifts! Outstanding actress as displayed in "Set it Off", exceptionally well known in the rap world and her lovely face has graced the cover of so many magazines! Not to mention her comedic skills "Living The Single Life" and now? An entire album of her singing?
To start in my opinion she has a very strong and rich voice! And the music is not only something that I can listen to and enjoy, but I am sure those a bit older than myself would also truly appreciate as well! Which I think is a bold, daring and brave move on her part considering her fame as a rapper. And something if you're going to attempt to do, you have to do incredibly well or face plant!
And she certainly does better than well! Perhaps people that only wanted to hear rap previously are getting an appreciation for music that I'm sure their parents would approve of, as well as their grand parents...
For the first part, or up to "California Dream in" it's easy to see Dana in a smoke filled room with a piano backing her or perhaps laying on a piano from time to time! I also think if she were magically transported to the time when this music reigned, she would easily be headlining where ever she went!
"Baby Get Lost", "I Put A Spell On You", "Simply Beautiful", "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh", "Moody's Mood For Love" and "Close Your Eyes" all put me in the relaxed mood of listening to someone who can certainly hold her own and not be out shined by the fine music that accompanies them all, as well as in my minds eye, that this would be in black and white like the movies of old...
"California Dreaming" reminds me of a newer version of a song being sung better than the original! Just like Luther Vandross took "Super Star" originally done by the Carpenters, slowed it down and added his special magic, the same can be said for Dana' version of this song. Hard Times, Mercy, Mercy Mercy, Hello Stranger seem to me to almost be performed in a way regardless of when they were originally written, that is more current or like music that is closer to the now...
Then back again we go to an older period in time in music with "If I Had You" and the big band ending with "Lush Life"...
It's again easy to imagine Dana in a sequined gown with a cigarette in a stylish holder mesmerizing every man in sight!
There are no weak songs on this CD, my favorite on it is "California Dreaming" and again the majority of the other songs put me in a mind set or a time of Nina Simone, Billy Holiday, Dorothy Dandridge, Marilyn Monroe, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr., and just a time period in general that spoke of class, style and elegance.
Solid CD, strong, beautiful and rich voice and I don't know if it was done intentionally but one almost get's the feeling that Dana, by choosing the music she did, is giving respect to her elders and perhaps turning on this generation to another form of music that we truly don't want to be forgotten...
I'm very pleased to have this in my collection and the plain truth of the matter is, Dana truly can sing!
Really!!!
When parents have kids, just based on life, I think a gap forms because of being influenced by different times. I also think something that bridges that gap is when the kids have kids, and the parents become grand parents.
In many ways I think that is what Dana achieves here, and like all she has done artistically, exceptionally well!!!
Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak
Description of The Dana Owens Album
"...a collection of timeless classics chosen and covered by the Queen herself"Everyone grows up... even rappers. Pioneering female MC Queen Latifah shows a newfound level of maturity on The Dana Owens Album. A set of standards the rapper/actress decided to cover, the album features a host of jazz classics and R&B favorites.
Latifah is at her seductive best when playing the sultry siren on Al Green's "Simply Beautiful." With a little help from Green himself, Latifah's vocals slide over the warm, organ-drenched instrumental. The result is one that works today as well as it would have several years ago. Similarly, the big band-backed "Baby Get Lost" swings with bluesy groove that is pure nostalgia.
However, it's when Latifah mines more standard fare that the album seems to hita snag. Fans of James Moody's "Moody's Mood for Love" may want to skip Latifah's version, as it misses the subtle perfection of the original. Her rendition of "I Put a Spell On You" doesn't falter, but it's not impressive either. It ends up being the kind of performance that finds you constantly waiting for more but never getting it. The same can be said for her cover of the Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreamin'."
That said, with Latifah's recent critically acclaimed turn in the film Chicago, this album's timing couldn't have been better. And with help from legendary producer Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin), The Dana Owens Album is an interesting and impressive new chapter in the star's diverse career. --Rashaun Hall
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Hear an exclusive audio stream of Queen Latifah?s "What Is This Thing Called Love."
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