Cry Me a Torch Song – the Video Version: October 2018

8 Oct

The October 2018 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Betty Buckley (Hope: “Reinforces her reputation as an astute interpreter of lyrics”); Barb Jungr and John McDaniel (Float Like a Butterfly – the Songs of Sting: “These songs emerge into brilliant Autumn sunshine as if dressed in fresh, flowing robes”); Anne Sumner (Beacon: “An arresting, throaty voice which brings a touch of soul to these harmonies”); Laughing With the Raindrops (Laughing With the Raindrops: “A polished sound that evokes languorous evenings and long summer nights”); and Mary Hopkin‘s new recording of Those Were the Days (“It’s astonishing how little-changed her voice is.”)

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Cry Me a Torch Song – the Video Version: May 2018

17 May

The May 2018 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Gretchen Peters (Dancing With the Beast: “An unrivalled capacity for blending intimate introspection with broader social and political influences”); Darling West (While I Was Asleep: “A pristine, country-flavoured set of songs which defies easy categorisation”); You Are Wolf (Keld: “An atmospheric, refreshing album which gradually gives up its treasure with repeated listening”); Miriam Cooke (Freefalling: “Moments of real intensity among some uplifting pop melodies and subtle world music beats”); and Karen Lane (Passarim: “Creates a mood that swings from languid romance to brooding saudade”).

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Cry Me a Torch Song – the Video Version: January 2018

6 Feb

The January 2018 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Mary Gauthier (Rifles & Rosary Beads: “Emotional touch-points that are universal and strike sparks of hope and revelation in the darkest corners of the lyrics”); Joan Baez (Whistle Down the Wind: “A rich, plangent sound, and a natural, unforced grandness that befits an artist of Baez’s stature”); Beth Nielsen Chapman (Hearts of Glass: “Conflict, affirmation, loss and revelation jostle for attention in a beautifully produced collection of new and revisited songs”), and Mary Byrne (Mary Byrne Sings the Sixties: “Pristine versions of signature numbers, impeccably arranged”).

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Cry Me A Torch Song – the video version: December 2017

24 Dec

The December 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Ange Hardy (Bring Back Home: “A voice with a pure and timeless quality, and sometimes seem to come through the airwaves like a nurturing echo from another age”); Karine Polwart (A Pocket of Wind Resistance: “A sensual exploration of territory and behaviour, compelling in its entirety”); Jane McDonald (Hold the Covers Back: “A polished collection of ballads and survival anthems, peppered with soul and gospel references”), and Sheridan Smith (Sheridan: “An accomplished album which showcases Smith’s interpretive gifts nicely – and much more than an identikit set of covers”).

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Cry Me A Torch Song – the Video Version: November 2017

5 Nov

The November 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Janie Dee (Janie Dee at the BBC: “A set which keeps you guessing all the time”); Meredith Braun (When Love is Gone: “A narrative arc traced with an absorbing mixture of classic pop and theatre songs”); Sophia Marshall (Bye Bye: The influence of Americana is clear but Marshall is no pale imitator”), and Jude Adams (This Girl This Woman: “The life-affirming result of a pile-up of influences from a voice that commands attention”).

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Cry Me a Torch Song: the Video Version – July/August 2017

13 Aug

The July/August 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Hafdís Huld (Dare to Dream Small: “Songs that suggest a new reckoning, a coming to terms with life’s complexities”); Alice & Battiato (Live in Roma: “A vast musical landscape, rich with diverse classical, rock, jazz and pop influences”); Susan Wong (Woman in Love: “A refreshing antidote to the excesses of far too many song reinventions”), and Gretchen Peters (Blackbirds: “Delicate, insistent harmonies with expressive lyrics that suddenly reach up through the surface and snap you into the reality of the story”).

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Cry Me a Torch Song: the Video Version – June 2017

1 Jul

The June 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Elkie Brooks (Pearls: the very best of: “A good reminder that real staying power is pretty rare in pop music”); Emma Stevens (To My Roots: “Fresh melodies and uplifting riffs… the perfect album for a summer drive”); Jane Birkin (Le Symphonique: “A glorious, deeply moving album of Gainsbourg songs”), and Alison Moyet (Other: “An artist moving with assurance and serene confidence across the canvas of her own adventure”).

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Cry Me A Torch Song: the Video Version – May 2017

6 Jun

The May 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Gill Manly (Everything Must Change & Going Home – Live at Hood’s Lounge: “A supreme gift for assured, unfussy interpretation… the seamlessness of her phrasing is exceptional. ”), Hannah Aldridge (Gold Rush: “Country rock numbers fuelled in turn by rage, disappointment and dangerous collisions – emotional and physical – as well as defiance and survival”), Jessica Lee Morgan (Around the Block: “A restlessness and a sense of moving on which lend the album a compelling edge – the singer taking control of the journey”), and Eithne Ní Uallacháin (Bilingua: “The sheer quality of Eithne’s voice transcends time and the sadness felt by the listener”).

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Cry Me a Torch Song: the Video Version – April 2017

30 Apr

The April 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Betty Buckley (Story Songs: “Adventurous in her song choices and fearless in her commitment to them”), Sound of the Sirens (For All Our Sins: “A wonderfully cohesive, mature sound which will hold its own on the global stage”), Anna Coogan (The Lonely Cry of Space & Time: “Yma Sumac meets Americana… a sweeping, arresting exploration of the state of the world”), Patricia Kaas (Patricia Kaas: “Polished, expertly crafted chansons, full of complex, subtle emotions”), and catches up with Songs of Separation (“A celebration of the female voice, but also a resonant, bold statement for our times”).

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Cry Me a Torch Song: the Video Version – March 2017

2 Apr

The March 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Edana Minghella (All or Nothing: “References that unique phrasing and tone without ever resorting to mere imitation”), Kate Dimbleby (Songbirds: “Completely refreshing and absorbing in these clamorous, noisy times”), Helene Greenwood (Exquisitely Hopeless: “Spacious, dreamy arrangements give way to incantations and spectral echoes”) and Julie KcKee (Light on the Ledge: “Story-songs bathed in nostalgia, yet bracingly contemporary”).

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