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A lot of big-name artists released well-publicized albums this fall, among them Barbra, Aretha, Annie, Billy and Gaga. I sampled them all and heard some of them entirely, but so far the only one I have felt compelled to buy is this one by Bette Midler. The others didn't measure up for various reasons, while Bette's is satisfying for various reasons, which I will try to enumerate.
First I think is the utter simplicity of it. The production is slick, but there are no pretensions. It is an album of pop music covers from various girl groups, and that's it. Since the beginning of her career, Bette has done this type of "retro" music better than anyone else. Also, unlike some of the other artists I mentioned, Bette's voice still sounds as good as it ever did, to me. I have to disagree with some other reviewers on a couple of issues. One said that the vocals sound "phoned in", and a couple of others described them as "karaoke". No offense, but I don't find this at all. To me, the upbeat numbers are joyous and exuberant, and the serious ones have nuanced feeling. Highlights for me include the following:
"Be My Baby" - I always wanted a really vibrant version of that classic song, and now I have it.
"Baby It's You" - It is mellow, but subtly serious.
"He's Sure The Boy I Love" - Bette and Darlene Love have great fun on this duet, and Darlene still sounds fabulous too.
"Come And Get These Memories" - This slowed down version is very affecting.
"Too Many Fish In The Sea" - Very high energy with some funny spoken lines.
"Teach Me Tonight" - In the style of "Old Cape Cod" from "Songs For The New Depression".
"Waterfalls" - The crown jewel of the album. Despite the risk, Bette took a very popular song and turned it into a superb vocal performance.
"Give Him A Great Big Kiss" - Campy just like "Leader Of The Pack" from her first album. And we don't get to hear Shangri-Las covers often enough.
Even Bette's version of "Mr. Sandman", a song I never really liked, is tolerable. The only track I don't care for is "You Can't Hurry Love". For some reason I have never liked any version other than the original by Diana Ross & The Supremes, so I can't really blame Bette for that.
The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, so I'd say Ms. Midler is off to a good start with this one. And from the beginning I had a feeling that it would be a winner. I feel this is an album that she was destined to make. I have only one regret: why, oh why, didn't she include "He's A Rebel"?
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47. It's Bette!
Now, this is an early Christmas treat! Always have been a fan of the Divine Miss M.'s acting and musical work, she is such an accomplished all-rounder, always mixing up her repertoire, I can never tire of her (can anyone with good taste, really?). Having recorded throughout the years different styles such as ballads, rock 'n' roll, cabaret, boogie-woogie, this, her 25th solo album, pays tribute to girl groups from the past 7 decades. All the way from the irresistible swing of '30s trio The Boswell Sisters' album title track to '90s TLC's heartbreakingly gorgeous "Waterfalls", this marvellous collection is guaranteed to get feet tapping and throats singing along (a tear or two may also be expected from daydreamers). Any true fan would be a fool to miss out on this; casual listeners, too, will surely get carried away by its brilliance. Beautifully assembled, from the song selection and production to the playful and colourful artwork (look out for the multiple Bettes in the booklet), and delivered with Bette's unmistakable trademark fervour (Miss M. sounds bigger and Bette-r than ever), "It's the girls!" is a fantastic, fun record. Bonny, bouncy, breezy ...Bette!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2014
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mrX
Contro il logorio della vita moderna
Reviewed in Italy on February 6, 2020
mrX
Reviewed in Italy on February 6, 2020
Effetti collaterali: snap snap con le dita; tap tap sul pavimento con il piede; stonare aggiungendosi al coro.
Effetti indesiderati: nessuno.
A parte gli scherzi. è bello sentire che la Divine Miss M ha mantenuto inalterata la sua verve. Ricordo ancora quando nel lontano 1972 mi regalarono il suo primo album dicendomi: "E' la nuova Streisand" (come se Barbra Streisand, in attività da appena una decina di anni, dovesse già essere rimpiazzata). Naturalmente, ascoltando il disco, mi resi conto che la personalità della Midler era lontana anni luce da quella dell'affermata collega, e da allora la seguo sia per ciò che riguarda la musica sia al cinema dove ci ha regalato tanti indimenticabili momenti di spensieratezza ("Per favore ammazzatemi mia moglie", "Affari d'oro") e qualche lacrima ("Spiagge", "The Rose"). A proposito di quest'ultimo, la sua interpretazione è stata così toccante che "The Rose" è il soprannome con cui ancora oggi viene chiamata negli States.
In "It's the Girls!", godibilissimo dalla prima all'ultima traccia, The Divine Miss M interpreta brani celeberrimi portati al successo da gruppi vocali femminili a partire dagli anni '30 del secolo scorso, uno più bello dell'altro.
Il doppio vinile è custodito in una solida copertina apribile (gatefold), è stampato bene ed è pure colorato di una bella tonalità di rosa (direi un Rubine Red) che, visto l'omaggio femminile, calza a pennello. Sarebbe stato bello trovarci anche i testi ma non si può avere tutto.
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