Pink Martini - Hey Eugene

cwall99

Addicted Member
This is not normally the type of music I listen to, but I gotta say, this is one beautiful album. What I mean by that is that it's way too show-tunish for me, generally, but the performance on this CD is crazy good. And the recording is beautifully done.

I heard an interview with the lead singer (China Forbes) on NPR a couple years back, and in that interview they played the title track to this album, and immediately I was thinking of my sister-in-law's neighborhood on Manhattan's lower east side.

The whole album has a nice international feel. French. Russian. Italian. German. English. But it comes off as feeling very New York.

Which is kinda strange since the band hails from Portland, OR (though the band's founder and Forbes met at Harvard). I believe everyone in the 12-piece band is a classically trained musician, so the musicianship on the album is exceptional.

The recording itself is tremendous, and, if you like this album, I'd recommend it as a demo disk or an album to use when auditioning speakers. Great dynamics. It shows very little evidence of The Loudness Wars. The CD has so much musical presence I'd put it up against just about any recording on vinyl and feel very confident in it winning some vinly-philes over to the sound of CD.

And Forbes' voice... wow!!! Straight out of 1962. She alternates between the sound you'd expect on a Broadway stage or a smoky nightclub with aplomb. Aplomb? And I didn't even use my thesaurus.

Anyhow, despite the album's straying over to the show tuney side of things, I highly recommend this album.
 
I have everything they've recorded and really enjoy their music. They are an example of a group of artists that continue to learn and grow along the way. Every album is just a little better than the one before. Splendor in the Grass is fabulous and their holiday album from this past year is a masterpiece. When they first started touring I think most folks believed that they were another of a type of band that we've all seen before but they have proven that they are for real, plus some.
 
My pleasure. I hope you enjoy it. They're a group I never would have heard of had it not been for NPR.
 
Dosvedanya Mio Bombino, is a fantastic song.

Yeah, it is. I really like the title track from that album, too. It just has a certain vibe that makes me think of someone I really like who lives on Manhattan's lower east side (don't tell my wife!).

But on Dosvedanya Mio Bombino, Ms Forbes just belts it out. Shows the power of her voice.
 
Another vote for this one.
Also happens to be my wife's favourite ADULT POP/VOCAL album - in particular, the title track.
(I just love the cover...)

For the uninitiated, just click here...
 
yeah, I think PM is the next best secret. My wife loves them. My son's girlfriend (35 years our junior) as well. I do like them, as well, but not to the same extent as others. They are touring Europe now and have a concert date in SF at a super-large classical concert hall (late November). We have (expensive) tickets. The music is good, has a broad range.
 
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