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Never give up a winning formula, so Barry Manilow sticks with it.,
Following a similar path to Rod Stewart’s ‘American Songbook’ series, Manilow
tries his hand at well known hits, again. It also includes a few Manilow
originals for good measure – Mandy, Copacabana, Could It Be Magic.
Some might say Stewart and Manilow are scraping the barrel. For Rod, it seems
like the only way to chart these days. Manilow’s massive fanbase seems to
remain intact, so fans will lap this up. He isn’t the greatest of singers, but
his material suits his voice, plus the fact he’s written some fantastic songs
and plays a mean piano too. It’s very much the case here, voice and arrangements
are in perfect unison.
Having tackled the '50s and '60s, the '70s now get the same treatment. This we
must remember is the decade he made his name, so it’s a kind of comfort zone.
With in excess of 75 million sales behind him, Manilow can afford to take
chances still.
Like everything he does, this collection smacks of class. Streisand’s massive
hit The Way We Were, is kept in typical cabaret mood. In a similar frame,
Frankie Valli’s top 5 hit My Eyes Adored You doesn’t quite have the
Valli vocal quality, but he pulls it off. Many have covered James Taylor’s gem
You’ve Got A Friend (written by Carole King), so why not Manilow, and
to be fair it’s very good because of the duet with Melissa Manchester.
Elton John’s Sorry Seem To Be The Hardest Word hasn’t been messed with
perfect Manilow territory. His handling of one of my all time favourites,
Bread’s If is well preserved from over cabaretism as is the Fab Four’s
Long And Winding Road. Same goes for S&G’s Bridge Over Troubled Water.
His reworking of hits Copacabana, done with an intimate sound, is far
removed from the all-singing all-dancing original, though it still retains
enough beef. Using ex-Buggles/Yes keyboard and studio wizard Trevor Horn for
Could It Be Magic is a masterstroke.
1. The Way We Were
2. My Eyes Adored You
3. You’ve Got A Friend
4. He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
4. (They Long To Be) Close To You
5. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
6. Solitaire
7. If
8. The Long And Winding Road
9. Bridge Over Troubled Water
10. Looks Like We Made It
11. Even Now
12. Somewhere In The Night
13. This One’s For You
14. Mandy
15. Weekend In New England
16. Copacabana (At The Copa)
17. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
18. Could It Be Magic (Trevor Horn Mix) (bonus track)
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.