Kiri Sidetracks: The Jazz Album (a review)

This is one of the ventures of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa into the realm of old standards. Very much like the albums Linda Ronstadt made with Nelson Riddle, it has it deficiencies because of their inability to quite make the transition from rock and opera to jazz. Kiri just is not able to pull it off on many of the numbers, which is understandable given her operatic background. However, listening to Dame Kiri is always a pleasure in any case.

That being said, there are a few of the tracks that are successes. In particular, "Like Someone in Love," and "It Never Was You," are so beautiful that they almost hurt. Of course, having Andre Previn, Mundell Lowe and Ray Brown backing you up doesn't hurt at all. Those two songs are of the quality that allows you to listen to them over and over again without ever getting tired of them. To really appreciate them, you need to lie down as you listen, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in the luscious ocean of sound.

And the picture of Kiri on the album cover is almost worth it by itself. Those eyes! Money well spent.