FOR THE GIRLS – Kristin Chenoweth (Concord Records)
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Full disclosure: I love Kristin Chenoweth. Always have done. I have followed her career since she brought life to You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 1999 right up to the present day. Not only does she have a phenomenal voice but her acting skills, especially her comic timing, is exemplary. So, when I suddenly got the chance to review her latest album, For the Girls, I was over the moon.
This is Chenoweth’s seventh album and one of her most personal and compelling projects to date. The album is a tribute to some of the great singers who have influenced her but with her own special interpretations of 12 classic songs identified with such iconic artists as Barbra Streisand, Eva Cassidy, Dinah Washington, Doris Day, Patsy Cline, Judy Garland, Carole King, Eydie Gormé and Linda Ronstadt.
On several tracks, Kirstin is actually joined by some high-powered guest vocalists, including Dolly Parton, who lends her voice to her own composition ‘I Will Always Love You’; Ariana Grande, featured on Lesley Gore’s feminist pop anthem ‘You Don’t Own Me’; and Jennifer Hudson and Reba McEntire, who make up a compelling trio for ‘I’m A Woman’, originally popularised by Peggy Lee. Other tracks on the album include: ‘The Way We Were’, ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’, ‘What a Diff’rence a Day Makes’, ‘When I Fall In Love’, ‘Crazy’, ‘The Man That Got Away’, ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’, ‘I Wanna Be Around’ and ‘Desperado’.
Don’t think for one minute that this is just a karaoke compilation – all the songs have been given the Chenoweth touch and come alive once more. It is no exaggeration to say that I have played this album on repeat ever since it came through and I still find new little exciting nuances, etc every time.
There must be millions of Chenoweth fans out there so the album is bound to be a big hit but I would advise anyone who hasn’t bought this already to get online and order it today.
Nick Wakeham
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