This 23-track collection assembles Burt's own versions of his most popular songs, all remastered 96k/24 bit from the original master tapes. A&M Records. 2003.
It took the martini-fueled lounge music scene of the '90s and some campy placements in a couple of hit movies--Austin Powers and My Best Friend's Wedding--to re-establish Burt Bacharach's genius in the public's mind. Once that was done, his work could be heard with new ears: It was no longer merely elevator music, but rather pop composition at its finest, marked by peerless melodies and arrangements that were complex in subtle ways. To get the full effect of the hits he wrote for artists such as Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, the Fifth Dimension, and many, many others, you should hear them in versions that also feature Hal David's brilliant lyrics (the multidisc set The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection is worth every penny). But this brief overview containing instrumental takes (augmented occasionally by a female chorus and, once, Burt's own warbling vocals) of songs such as "The Look of Love," "Alfie," and "What the World Needs Now Is Love" offers some intrigue, too. If you still feel like having a martini, here's the appropriate soundtrack. --Daniel Durchholz
VARIOS INTERPRETES THE DEFINITIVE BURT BACHARACH (3CD)
Here I Am Music Artist : Ron Isley Music Label : Dreamworks Release Date : 2003-11-11 Artistopia's Price :$13.11
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Album Summary
Ronald Isley had a 2003 that most artists would envy. The Isley Brothers’ Body Kiss went to No. 1 in its first week in the Billboard charts in the spring. Still riding that triumph, the veteran singer teamed with master writer-arranger Burt Bacharach for this set of sumptuous ballads. Such event records – often made to cash in at holiday time or to lift a sagging artist profile – aren’t always musically successful, but Here I Am is undeniable. Recording live vocals with a full orchestra in the manner of Bacharach’s ’60s sessions with Dionne Warwick and others, Isley brings a quietude to this selection of Bacharach-Hal David classics and a couple of new collaborations between the composer and Tonio K. "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" gets the most radical reinterpretation; no longer jaunty, it’s transformed into something bluer but ultimately full of hope. Here I Am, one of the more surprising albums of the year, is a true keeper. --Rickey Wright
