What More Should I Say?

1. I Know Rain

2. What More Should I Say

3. If It Ain't Love

4. Blue Kentucky Girl

5. I Know

6. Prisoner Of Your Love

7. Tree Of Hearts

8. Roses In The Snow

9. Leavin's Heavy On My Mind

10. Ramblin' Fever

11. Heart Of Stone

12. Slippin' Away

What More Should I Say?,Michelle Nixon,Pinecastle,Contemporary Bluegrass,Country,Jazz,Pop,Traditional Bluegrass

Average customer rating: Arguably "The Best" English "Merry Widow "

Léhar: The Land of Smiles; The Merry Widow; The Count of Luxembourg (Highlights) Manufacturer: Class. for Pleas. Us ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Lehár, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus; The Gypsy Baron (Highlights) Offenbach: La Belle Hélène; Orpheus in the Underworld; La Vie Parisienne (Highlights) Music of Sigmund Romberg Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld / Burgess, Watson, etc (Highlights) The Best of Operetta, Vol. 3 ASIN: B00009KHY2 Release Date: 2003-09-02

Customer Reviews:

Arguably "The Best" English "Merry Widow ".......2006-09-12

This is the "Merry Widow" with English translation by Christopher Hassel sung by June Bronhill. I loved this rendition ever since I first heard it in about 1960. What's to love? First the translation is the best I've heard. The language doesn't sound "stilted" as some others. And, you can understand almost every word sung. Plus, the famous song, "Vilja" has some wording that moves me every time I hear it: The soprano sings, "Love me and I'll DIE for you!" with the word "die" somewhat emphasized. I don't know, there's just something "powerful" about someone saying they'd "die" for love! AND, at the end of "Vilja" the chorus and soprano raise to a crescendo hitting a high note together. In many renditions the chorus is heard but not the soprano on the final high note. In THIS version, the soprano, June Bronhill, can be heard rising to the final high note with an incressing crescendo and fortissimo louder than the chorus and holding the final high note---which gives a very thrilling effect as she holds that final note, I assure you!

The "problem" is that this June Bronhill, Reid, and Hassel version is hard to find on CD. For example, this CD is made in Holland and "there is one left" so it says on Amazon. But, if you can find it, I think it would be very much worth a listen. Then, after hearing it, if you think there's a "better" Merry Widow, please let ME know! Thanks. Email:boland7214@aol.

Average customer rating: Wonderful CD!! Michelle and the Boys keep on Drivin Bluegrass on the sunny side

What More Should I Say? Michelle Nixon & Drive Manufacturer: Pinecastle ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: All American Bluegrass Girl It's Gettin' Better All the Time Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain Catch Tomorrow Always Never Enough ASIN: B0009UVBGS Release Date: 2005-07-12

Tracks:

1. I Know Rain
2. What More Should I Say
3. If It Ain't Love
4. Blue Kentucky Girl
5. I Know
6. Prisoner Of Your Love
7. Tree Of Hearts
8. Roses In The Snow
9. Leavin's Heavy On My Mind
10. Ramblin' Fever
11. Heart Of Stone
12. Slippin' Away

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful CD!!.......2006-12-22

Michelle Nixon and Drive have really hit the nail on the head with this CD. Simply put in one word: AMAZING. From the foot stopping rythmn of 'I Know Rain' to the love song 'Tree of Hearts' this CD is great!
I had the opportunity to see Michelle Nixon and Drive play live at the Bean Blossom festival in Indiana. They were great! She really has an amazing voice, and the harmony with guitarist Patrick Robertson and bass player Adam Seale is wonderful! Jamie Harper really gets into those songs while on the mandolin, and Jeremy Boling hits it hard on that five-string. I HIGHLY recommend this CD!! This is as good as it gets!

Michelle and the Boys keep on Drivin.......2005-10-12

Michelle Nixon and Drive have the talent to be the one of the top Bluegrass Band's in the Country. I had a chance to see them Live, and they Rocked the House. The cd's first tune,I Know Rain, gets your Blood Pumping. My favorites tunes are: If It Ain't Love, I Know Rain, What More Should I Say, and Tree Of Hearts (a Love Song). You will enjoy the whole CD, Take Michelle Nixon and Drive for a spin, You'll Thank Me Tommorow ! Enjoy, Brad Brinkley

Bluegrass on the sunny side.......2005-08-04

Playing Time - 39:32 -- About two years have passed since Michelle Nixon & Drive grabbed our attention with their debut album, "It's My Turn." Now, with their sophomore effort, folks from the misty valleys of the Pacific Northwest will especially relate to the hard-driving and appealing opener, "I Know Rain," (written by Dixie and Tom T. Hall) on their new Pinecastle release entitled "What More Should I Say?" The title cut, appearing at track 2, was written by the band's guitarist and "other" vocalist Patrick Robertson who also penned "I Know." Dallas Frazier's "If It Ain't Love" has been done by other bluegrass units, and Southern Connection comes immediately to mind. Nixon & Co.'s version has a copious amount of contemporary get-up-and-go.

For broad, far-reaching appeal, this contemporary Virginia band blends bluegrass, country, and gospel to soothe every possible downhearted disposition. Their music is happy, upbeat, and Michelle has assembled a band that will solidly lay claim to their place as one of the most happening and dynamic acts on the bluegrass scene. Michelle sings with unique gusto that immediately that identifies her. Nixon also wrote "Prisoner of Your Love" and "Heart of Stone." The former gives both of the band's lead vocalists a chance to showcase their contemporary, yet haunting, mountain feel. The latter is a story inspired by Nixon's daughter and son-in-law. Robertson also injects considerable energy into his vocalizing, equally matching Nixon's forceful presentation. They're pretty fair vocal compatriots. With only two vocalists identified in the core group, additional harmonies are sung by fiddler Justen Haynes. Bill Anderson and Michelle Nixon sing a duet on "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds," a country song written by Melba Montgomery. Anderson penned "Slippin' Away," a tune whose hook proved successful for Jean Sheppard years before.

While music is a large part of her life, Michelle Nixon also has three kids, owns a hair salon, teaches Sunday School, and loves to camp, fish and play sports. With Michelle in the driver's seat, this band can hardly do wrong. The band has had a few personnel changes since their first album. Vernon Hughes and Eddie Shifflett are no longer with the band. The band's nickname for Jason Davis (banjo) is "Boy Wonder," a homeschooled teenager and all-around great guy from Dinwiddie, Virginia. Jamie Harper (mandolin) and Adam Seale (bass) round out the quintet. Justen Haynes (fiddle), a recent grad of Shenandoah College, is credited as a guest artists, along with Jeff Murray, Mike Toppins, Phil Leadbetter, and Bill Anderson. Associating with four young and talented string burners, Nixon has built a quintet whose bluegrass is clearly on the sunny side. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Average customer rating:

Complete Secular Songs (3cd) Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs of Henry Purcell / King's Consort Sacred Music Complete Purcell: Complete Ayres for the Theatre Dowland - The Collected Works / The Consort of Musicke, Rooley Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys ASIN: B0000DJENT Release Date: 2004-01-13

Average customer rating: English is an asset and a drawback You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally! I love Carmen!

Carmen (Sung in English) Bizet , Bardon , Gavin , Plazas , Magee , and Parry Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mozart: The Magic Flute The Barber of Seville / B. Ford, D. Jones, A. Opie; G. Bellini [in English] Verdi: La Traviata Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro Mozart - Don Giovanni / Garry Magee · Cullagh · Banks · Plazas · Shore · Tierny · PO · David Parry ASIN: B00007JGRN Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

1. Prelude
2. In The Plaza
3. Just Look At That Delicious Morsel
4. Here Come Our New Soldier Boys
5. Jose! There Was A Girl Here Looking For You Just Now
6. Off With You Old Soldier Boys
7. Corporal! Sir!
8. We Have Heard The Bell Summon Us To Meet Here
9. Ah, Just Look!
10. But Why Hasn't She Come, Our Carmencita?
11. Love's A Bird Wild As Any Rebel
12. Carmen! We Will Follow You High And Low!
13. The Cheek Of It!
14. Give Me News Of My Mother!
15. Your Dear Mother And I Were Leaving Church This Morning
16. I See My Mother's Face!
17. Wait A Moment - I'm Going To Read The Letter
18. Come And Help
19. So, Corporal: Tell Me What Happened
20. Well, Carmencita: What Do You Have To Say For Yourself?
21. Where Are You Taking Me?
22. There's An Old Bar In The City
23. Careful - It's Lieutenant!
24. Entr'acte
25. From Far Away Mysterious Sounds
26. Bravo, Bravo! More! Keep Dancing!
27. Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
28. Who's That? It's Escamillo, The Bullfighter From Granada
29. Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
30. You're Most Kind
31. We'll Come With You, Senor Torero
32. Toreador, Be Ready!
33. At Last! We Got Rid Of Them As Quickly As We Could
34. There's A Little Job That We're Starting!
35. Being In Love Is Not A Reason

Tracks:

1. To Bid You Welcome To Our Bar
2. La La La La La La La La...
3. Back To Camp!... Go At Once!
4. That Flow'r You Threw To Me I Treasured
5. No, It's Not Love At All!
6. Hello! Carmen!
7. Lieutenant Fair, It's True
8. The Sky Above The Open Road
9. Entr'acte
10. Keep Going, Dear Old Friend, Kep Going!
11. Right! Let's Stop For A While
12. Shuffle! Cut Them!
13. In Vain You Would Avoid The Bitter Things They're Saying
14. You're Back!
15. As For That Man, It Should Be Easy!
16. Is This The Place?
17. I Say That There's Nothing To Fear
18. It's Him! I'm Sure It's Him Over There!
19. Escamillo Is My Name, And I Come From Granada
20. She Had A Lover Here
21. Hola! Hola! Jose!
22. You Should Take Care, Carmen
23. Alas! Jose, Your Mother Is Ill
24. Entr'acte
25. A Few Cuartos! A Few Cuartos!
26. Here They Come! Here They Come!
27. If You Love Me, Carmen
28. It's You! It's Me!
29. Viva! Viva! What A Corrida!

Customer Reviews:

English is an asset and a drawback.......2004-07-20

The best thing about this recording of Carmen is the libretto. Conductor David Parry penned this facile and dramatic English translation. He avoids the pitfalls of literal translation to achieve an idiomatic flow that matches the rhythm of the original lyrics. I use this as a reference libretto for any of the French Carmens.

Unfortunately, the performance suffers from being sung in English. The singers declaim their parts with such proper British diction that Carmen comes across as a school marm. The spoken dialog is delivered beat for deliberate beat and is dripping with reverb. It makes the plaza, tavern and mountain pass all sound like a sewer pipe.

This is a good first Carmen for someone trying to understand the work. The libretto itself is a good investment for further listening. For an enjoyable performance with an emphasis on character and action, I recommend Regina Resnik on the London Double Decker set.

You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English.......2004-02-09

What a perfect introduction to opera. This newly released recording will surely get you hooked into opera. Carmen, a French opera by Georges Bizet, is the most recognizable and most popular in the opera world. It's famous melodies- the overture, the Habanera, The Toreador Song have all been featured in everything from cellular phone ring tones to Superbowl Commercial (last year's Superbowl with The "Opera In English" label has been making Italian operas into English for a number of years now. Also on the market are Verdi's La Traviata in English (with soprano Valerie Masterson as Violetta) Handel's Julius Caesar with Janet Baker and even Wagner's epic Ring Of The Nibeling sung in English. This is a terrific recording and I highly recommend it if you want to get into opera. Listen to this version first and then try the real, original French version Bizet had written. Patricia Bardon is sensational, sexy and dramatic as Carmen.

The real strength of this version is the dynamic drama. With the advantage of being sung in English, we get better insight on characters' emotions and motives, and we understand the drama a lot better. Carmen is all about great drama. Bizet drew the plot from the French writer Prosper Merimee's dark short story. Carmen is the ultimate femme fatale- a devil-may-care, sexy Gypsy living in Spain, seduces the conservatively raised soldier Don Jose, stealing him away from his fiancee, the passive Micaela, living a life of underground smuggling and rowdy taverns. "Habanera" and "The Gypsy Song and Dance" are very expressive of Carmen's extraordinarily liberal lifestyle. Don Jose, however, has fallen deeply in love- as he shows us in his song/aria "The Flower Song". But Carmen soon becomes tired of his constancy. Don Jose wants a committed, monogamous relationship with Carmen. But Carmen will not submit to love, since she is first and foremost a carnal creature. Eventually, she falls for the handsome Toreador Escamillo. Don Jose, consumed by jealousy, stabs Carmen at a bullfight after Carmen declares her love for Escamillo and rejects Don Jose's love. Don Jose's crazed, obscessive personality shines through in the English version as well. This tragedy has been done in English before so don't think this is the first time. Back in the 50's, there was a film, starring black actors "Carmen Jones" which was treated the same way as this opera- more like an English Broadway musical and with the dubbed singing voice of Marilyn Horne as Carmen. All in all, this recording is excellent.

A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!.......2003-09-17

This recording really sells "Carmen" as a drama. Although I have two other recordings of this opera and have seen it performed several times, it never quite worked for me dramatically. But thanks to the fine performances, conducting, and translation here, I've become a "Carmen" convert. Producing a good English-language performance of a foreign opera, especially a warhorse like "Carmen," is much more difficult than it might appear. You need performers who not only can sing the parts (of course) but also can sing *English* and make it halfway intelligible and make it sound like English and make it dramatically convincing to English-speakers. The singers on this recording do an excellent job all around. Don't be put off if you don't recognize their names -- they are up to the task musically and (especially) in their acting. Admittedly, as with *all* English-language recordings, some passages are very hard to understand without reading along, but most of the time the words are clear and effective. I would recommend this recording to any opera beginner or opera lover, even those who normally turn up their noses at performances in translation.

I love Carmen!.......2003-08-15

I do. I can think of no other opera with more melodic inventiveness, and few others with so sure a dramatic pulse. Carmen is popular and it thrills me to say that it is also a very good opera - not always true of popular things.

And what of this recording? Carmen sits well in English, so it is good to hear in translation, although some of the detais in the text jar. Escamillo refers to Jose as "my dear", which sounds rather peculiar, and the guide's line to Micaela: "it's not exactly inviting, is it?" sounds distinctly Middle England rather than Rural Spain. Some of the performers, not least Carmen herself, make the words work, although there are long tracts, especially with the chorus, where the language is distinctly indistinct.

The soloists are, by and large, strong. Patricia Bardon's deep, Handel-friendly voice adapts well to Carmen and she colours the music with phenomenal detail, sounding sexy and provocative from the start with an edge of pride and anger that emerges as the show goes on. She is out of her depth above the stave, though, and some extra top notes in the second act don't show her off to her best advantage. I have previously said that Julian Gavin is poorly served by recordings, though here he sounds much more even and gives a thrilling and musical performance (but his wooden spoken lines let him down). Mary Plazas is a lovely Micaela, rich-voiced and sincere (and word-perfect), but Garry Magee sounds miscast as Escamillo, lacking the ballast at the bottom of the voice to do justice to this tricky role.

The supporting cast is good (Mary Hegarty seems to do nothing but Frasquita these days!) but the really treasurable thing is the conducting. Stepping out of Italian Ottocento, David Parry turns his hand to this French Comedie with an appropriate lightness of touch. His pacing and handling of the set pieces is exemplary and the enrtractes go with a real swing.

A pleasure, then, for the Carmen naive or a novelty for the Carmen-acquainted. I nearly wrote Carmen-weary - but I don't think it's possible.

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