[.ca] Sings My Fair Lady/Camelot/Br

One of the fairest ladies goes out with a bang:
"Here I'll Stay" has sad historical significance in that it is the last recording Julie Andrews made before a series of surgeries robbed her (and us) of that glorious voice forever. THankfully, this album is, for the most part, a grand sendoff, and, by touching coincidence, happens to be an album of songs with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, who was, of course, a pretty important figure in helping Julie achieve stardom. Yes, Julie can't hit those high notes as well as she could 30 years ago, but there are still many thrilling tracks on this album, including "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)," a stirring "From This Day On" in the suite of songs from "Brigadoon," the delightfully sly "My Love Is A Married Man" from the early Lerner-and-Loewe flop "A Day Before Spring," the moving "One More Walk Around the Garden" from the Lerner-Burton Lane "Carmelina," and "Take Care of THis House" from Lerner's collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, "1600 Pensylvania Avenue," that not only showcase Julie's voice, but reveal new depth and nuance in her interpretations. She also pays tribute to the shows with words by Lerner that launched her with suites from "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot;" yes, she sang these songs much better on the original cast albums, but it is a nice gesture. She is also ably supported by the Ambrosian Singers in a few tracks and some generally lovely arrangements by Ian Fraser (though he can go overboard sometimes). All in all, a nice way for one of the fairest ladies to ever grace the stage or silver screen to leave her golden voice behind for us to treasure.

Julie's voice is great:
I love to hearing Julie's voice, that's why I bought it. Of course, it's wonderful. Especially, "On the clear day" and "Brigadoon" medley are good. But I was disappointed at the suites of "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot." They has many numbers sung by Julie once. Some of them are great, the other are not good. I like this album, but compared with the original recording made by her, I prefer these albums to this one. But if you want to hear the recent Julie's voice, you must buy it. I hope her voice will recover someday.

Incredible, delicious Julie Andrews at her best!!:
The soft melodic tone of Julie's voice gives one a truly heart warming experience. You feel as though she were singing directly to you. Her clear tones makes one totally able to understand the lyrics. In todays pop culture word clarity gets lost with the loud music. It's refreshing to be able to listen to pure sound.

Disappointing new arrangements; voice OK, no longer great.:
This CD looked promising from the label, but was so disappointing I returned it. Andrews' original performances of many of these standards, such as those from My Fair Lady, were absolutely gorgeous. For some inexplicable reason, in an effort to "improve" on these standards, the arrangements have been all mangled. They contain unexpected modulations and other strange changes which make the listener want to grab the original recording-which is what I did for My Fair Lady. Julie Andrews' original recordings of many of these songs were sublime. Unfortunately, these retakes remind us that her voice isn't what it once was, as she too often talks her way through the songs and avoids the jumps and high notes that she used to hit in clear, thrilling fashion.

Andrews and Lerner: A Match Made In Camelot:
I see that in his liner notes for this release, Leslie Bricusse has already used most of the adjectives I would use to describe Julie Andrews' voice at the time of this recording. It was still "bell-like" and "crystalline." Apt terms certainly. The bad news was HERE I'LL STAY may be the last studio release to display those strengths, since vocal strain (purportedly due to her back-to-Broadway stint in Victor/Victoria) seem to have left her trademark voice seriously damaged, if not actually ravaged. There are hints, even on this record, that that crystalline voice was already showing a few very minor stress fractures, but overall it was holding up remarkably well in her fifth decade of performing. While some have complained that her "My Fair Lady" medley will never begin to compare to the original cast recording, it is clear (by dint of the fact that is IS a medley) that it was never intended to. Nonetheless,Andrews sings these classic bits with wit, authority, heart and skill. As project albums go, this collection of songs with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner is a mixed bag. And that's not a bad thing in this case. Aside from the showstoppers, there are any number of brooding, introspective pieces that Julie Andrews renders sensitively. For several years now, Julie has deliberately let herself be cast against type and has sung songs "against type," and has successfully distanced herself from her early Mary/Maria image. At this point in her life, when she tackles something like "My Love Is A Married Man," it seems pretty natural and uncontrived, however, just one more role that this accomplished singer/actress can take on handily. I was eleven when MARY POPPINS was first released, and in my Beatlemaniac pre-adolescent mind, Julie Andrews was just one more cool British export. By the time I was in high school, however, Andrews was, of course, nowhere near being cool. (Julie Christie, maybe, Julie Driscoll, certainly--but NOT Julie Andrews!) But at age 50, I can look back at all that and admit that--as much of a rock'n'roller as I'll always be in my heart--I was weaned on the Ed Sullivan Show, just like everyone else of my generation. In our hearts, we loved those numbers from MY FAIR LADY or BRIGADOON that were included on those shows as much as our parents did. Now we can admit it. One last point: I did not purchase this album because of Alan Jay Lerner's lyrics. Of course, I was aware of him and his contributions to the American musical theater. But name recognition and awareness of a lyricist's prestige is one thing. Had you asked me to name something he penned, outside of MY FAIR LADY, I would have been at a loss to come up with a single song. This album, which mixes classic Lerner and Loewe with the works of other collaborators of Alan Jay Lerner should give listeners a genuine appreciation of his gifts. It did for me anyway.

• On a Clear Day
• Brigadoon Suite: Brigadoon (Overture)/Almost Like Bein' in Love/Waitin'
• My Love Is a Married Man
• Here I'll Stay
• Paint Your Wagon Suite: Paint Your Wagon/They Call the Wind ...
• Someone on Your Side
• One More Walk Aroun the Garden
• My Fair Lady Suite: Overture/Wouldn't It Be Lovely/Let a Woman in Your
• Take Care of This House
• What Did I Have That I Don't Have?
• Camelot Suite: Camelot/The Simple Joys of Maidenhood/How to Handle ...
• There's Always One You Can't Forget