De-Lovely |  | Artists: Various Artists, Cole Porter
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $8.99
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Seller: snowlionbooks
Rating:  151 reviews
Sales Rank: 2,325
Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.8 x 0.3
UPC: 827969064023
EAN: 0827969064023
ASIN: B00023GGHQ
Release Date: June 15, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | It's De-Lovely - Robbie Williams | | • | Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) - Alanis Morissette | | • | Begin The Beguine - Sheryl Crow | | • | Let's Misbehave - Elvis Costello | | • | Be A Clown - Kevin Kline, Peter Polycarpou and Chorus | | • | Night And Day - John Barrowman and Kevin Kline | | • | True Love - Ashley Judd and Tayler Hamilton | | • | What Is This Thing Called Love? - Lemar | | • | I Love You - Mick Hucknall | | • | Just One Of Those Things - Diana Krall | | • | Anything Goes - Caroline O'Connor and Chorus | | • | Experiment - Kevin Kline | | • | Love For Sale - Vivian Green | | • | So In Love - Lara Fabian and Mario Frangoulis | | • | Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye - Natalie Cole | | • | Blow, Gabriel, Blow - Jonathan Pryce, Kevin Kline, Cast and Chorus | | • | In the Still Of The Night - Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd | | • | You're The Top - Cole Porter |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
At first glance, the approach picked for De-Lovely will be familiar to those who already own Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter. On both albums, contemporary pop stars cover classics by Porter. But many of the interpretations on Red Hot + Blue were modernized, whereas the approach on De-Lovely is more traditional---it's the soundtrack to a biopic about Porter, after all, so a classic (though not quite period) sound prevails. What's surprising is how well many of the singers handle the songs without the crutch of a contemporary pop retooling. Who would have thought that Alanis Morissette had such a natural affinity for "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)," for instance? She fares equally well in her screen cameo, whereas Diana Krall sounds superb on "Just One of Those Things" but looks horribly uncomfortable in the film. Other good surprises include Robbie Williams's "It's De-Lovely" and Kevin Kline as Porter, coming across as a more tuneful Rex Harrison. Elvis Costello, meanwhile, confirms he's a better songwriter than singer, and as Linda Porter, Ashley Judd is hesitant at best. In a nice touch, a recording of Cole Porter himself performing "You're the Top" provides the album's coda. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Album Description
European version of 19-track soundtrack includes the bonus track 'Easy To Love' - Kevin Kline. Columbia.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 151
 Remembering The Songs Of A Great Composer . . . Cole Porter November 17, 2004
Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* (CA USA)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
This original motion picture soundtrack "De-Lovely" is a proof that Cole Porter's music means forever. The staying power of his music is simply amazing -- charming and timeless songs with wonderful melodies that will stay on in the hearts of musicians, performers, artists, music lovers and listeners through the years. Although his life was truly a musical drama and the later years were tragic after one of his legs was amputated, Porter will always be remembered as one of the most brilliant composers America ever produced.
This one gem of a CD covers some of the most loved compositions of Porter. I enjoyed the movie, which showcased Kevin Kline's versatility in being a very good actor, singer and dancer. He portrayed the role effortlessly. Likewise with Ashley Judd, she's not only a fabulous actress but she can sing too, in "True Love," a duet with Tayler Hamilton and "In The Still Of The Night" with Kevin Kline.
One of the best tracks is Diana Krall's jazzy and superb rendition of "Just One Of Those Things" which I enjoyed listening with a few repeats. I also enjoyed listening to Sheryl Crow's version of "Begin The Beguine" which she delivers splendidly with a Bossa Nova touch. It's another track that deserves a few repeats.
In "Night And Day," Kevin is coaching John Borrowman.... "you can sing this.... just don't think about the melody....just think about the words...just sing it with me....like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom.....night and day....try E flat....day and night why is it so?"........ This song is my all-time favorite and I consider it one of Porter's musical treasures.
Not to forget Natalie Cole's contribution to this soundtrack, she deserves an applaud for her lovely rendition of "Every Time We Say Goodbye." The most moving track is the romantic rendition of "In The Still Of The Night" with Kevin playing the piano and Ashley joining him in singing this all-time classic. Porter performs in the finale "You're The Top."
Although some of the tracks are somewhat obscure, at least the above-mentioned tracks are worth listening to, and still deserve my recommendation. It will be a lovely addition to your collection of original motion picture soundtracks.
cole porter would have loved this soundtrack July 8, 2004
33 out of 40 found this review helpful
The man who wrote "Anything Goes" and lived by that credo would have loved this record. With apologies to the small group of elitists who have to have their Cole Porter their way, done only by certain artists they deem acceptable, Porter would have enjoyed the fact that pop artists of THIS day wanted to record his songs and perform them on camera in the movie as characters in his life.
I grew up in a house where Cole Porter was embraced along with a number of the other accomplished songwriters of his day. My kids get exposed to those great songs by CDs I share with them. But that's simply not the case in lots of households these days. Cole Porter has been dead for forty years, and slowly but surely the number of people who know or remember dwindles.
It is a great power of films that they can feature music and songs that you seldom hear on the radio or in other walks of life. Sleepless in Seattle brought the romantic songs of the '40s and '50s to those who love them AND to a whole new generation. Forrest Gump did it for the rock songs of the '50s,'60s and '70s. Look at the different kinds of music that Quentin Tarantino has introduced to his audiences. Look at what Baz Luhrmann did for music through the ages with Moulin Rouge. Look at how Chicago made showtunes a new part of young peoples' lives in this decade. Now De-Lovely is here to breathe new life into the appreciation of Cole Porter.
Robbie Williams is a natural with his uplifting, infectious "De-Lovely," and the camera loves him. Alanis Morrisette is a revelation with her spirited, joyful "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)," and the camera loves her too. Of course Natalie Cole and Diana Krall use their history of performing Porter songs to great benefit, but that doesn't make their outstanding renditions better than "the upstarts." Not when those "upstarts" give performances such as the ones by Elvis Costello on "Let's Misbehave" or Vivian Green on "Love For Sale."
Since when is it bad to be different? The most revealing Kevin Kline/Cole Porter performance in the movie is on the obscure Porter tune, "Experiment," in which Cole wrote: "Experiment/Be curious/Tho' interfering friends may frown,/Get furious/At each attempt to hold you down/If this advice you only employ/The future can offer you infinite joy and merriment/Experiment/And you'll see."
The most adventurous experiment on this soundtrack is Sheryl Crow's version of "Begin the Beguine." When I first heard the performance on the soundtrack, I was taken aback by the transformation of the song to a minor key lament. But when I saw the way the song performance was used in the movie to underscore and enhance the deep emotion of a heartbreaking scene, it made perfect sense. Begin the Beguine is now a high point of the soundtrack for me.
Let's remember that De-Lovely is a soundtrack album and the songs are recorded according to the needs of the film. We all complain when a soundtrack album does not contain all the important music from the movie. Well, in this case, the movie's music is the album which brings back all the memories of a brilliant man's life of song. The interweaving mix of show tunes and pop performances shows how much great songs performed in different styles are capable of living side by side.
It took real courage to make this film because period piece biopics generally have a tough time at the box office. It took a real passion for Cole Porter's songs to make this album an outstanding collection. Rather than the derision of some reviewers whose expectations were violated, we should all celebrate one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, who is now more alive and well in the 21st century because filmmakers and performers expressed their love for him through De-Lovely, the movie and the soundtrack.
TOP NOTCH March 11, 2005
R. Pandolfo (Lehigh Valley, PA.)
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
The people who complained about this CD don't get it. What point would it make to get a Sinatra sound-alike and use the same arrangements from years ago? This CD also has much better sound than the old recordings. The arrangements are spirited and fun, and the vocal performances are unique and somewhat typical of Broadway, where not all performers have great voices. My wife and I love it, and I bought one for my parents, and they love it. Great songs, great sound, terrfic, lively arrangements. And the movie is terrific. We have the DVD as well.
These songs are great... the artists don't always measure up July 25, 2004
JimC (California)
20 out of 24 found this review helpful
I didn't know quite what to expect from the movie, and it took me about a half an hour to get into the tone of it all. But when it was over, I felt completely at ease, and knew I had been thoroughly entertained. I felt as if I had actually experienced some of that elite sophisticated life that Cole Porter led. The production design was extraordinary.
As for the soundtrack CD, it's kind of a mixed bag, but mostly good. As usual, however, I tend to like the tracks that most people never mention, and dislike the ones that are gathering the most attention. Robbie Williams sings the hell out of the title song; it's snappy and energetic, and he even sings some seldom heard lyrics that put a whole new twist on a song I never really cared for until now. But then, we get to hear Alanis Morissette execute an incredibly painful version of "Let's Do It," with the most excruciating phrasing since Mrs. Miller. Apparently someone heard Morissette sing through her nose...put her in a wet paper bag...and that's why she can't sing her way out of one. Next, there's Sheryl Crow.
I'm still undecided about her renditon of "Begin The Beguine." This song has been crucified by many artists over the years...Perry Como's version is really lousy, Johnny Mathis discoed it up, and Nino Tempo & April Stevens' interpretation reduces a classic song to deadpan comedy. But at least they stuck to the song as written. Sheryl sings the song in a moody minor key....she has a lovely voice and is perfectly in tune with the notes SHE wants to sing; they're just not the notes that Porter composed. It's certainly an unusual approach...and, if I'd never heard the song before, might enjoy it. I really miss the original melody, but on the other hand, I kind of like the originality of this version. Ultimately, I think the minor key delivery works better within the context of the film...(i.e. establishing a melancholy mood after Linda's miscarriage) than it does as a freestanding song on the soundtrack. I keep saying, "C'mon Sheryl..get in gear and hit the right notes." I don't suppose Cole Porter is spinning like a lathe in his grave, but this arrangement probably made him shift a little.
Nobody ever seems to mention John Barrowman (he isn't even listed on the cover of the CD.) John portrays the musical theater performer who's having difficulty with "Night and Day" until Cole coaches him. For me, this was one of the highlights of the film as well as the CD. When Kevin Kline went up on the stage and convinced Barrowman that he could do the song justice, I just knew I was in the right place. FYI, John's new CD, "John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter" doesn't seem to be available in the U. S., but you can get it at www.amazon.co.uk. It is probably the best Cole Porter "tribute" album since Ella Fitzgerald sang the Cole Porter Songbook. A few sides may be a little over-orchestrated, but the CD is really outstanding.
I don't know who Lemar and Vivian Green are, but I intend to find out. Vivian's memorable version of "Love For Sale" is absolutely scandalous, and Lemar's "What Is This Thing Called Love" is deliciously sensual. Then there's Lara Fabian and Mario Frangoulis's extraordinary interpretation of "So In Love." All of these sides are absolutely stunning!!
Natalie Cole made me appreciate the song "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" more than ever before with her trademark sultry vocals. There are other highlights as well...even "Be A Clown" isn't the silly agony I expected it to be...it's really clever and funny. (I'm sure I'll think of this song next time I go to a doctor or a dentist.)
Mick Hucknall of Simply Red sounds more like Rudy Vallee than the Nelson Eddy type he portrays in the film (costumed as a Royal Canadian mountie and referred to as "Mr. Nelson..??!!") At first, I skipped over this track. Now I actually listen to it. It kinda grows on you, but then again, so does a wart.
In any event, next time you mix yourself a martini or two, put this CD on your system, perhaps along with Ella's Porter songbook and John Barrowman's new CD available in England. Hit shuffle play, and enjoy the evening. Cheers!!
Enjoyable! November 2, 2005
Jeff Davis
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I guess that the "purists" out there don't like this commercial modernization of Cole Porter's greatest hits, but my guess is that if you enjoyed the movie (which I did), you'll also really enjoy the soundtrack album. I happen to think Sheryl Crow does a fantastic job here, and ditto for Diana Krall and the rest. This is a perfect introduction to Cole Porter for those who have a scant familiarity with his amazing career and works. Because it features many of today's biggest stars interpreting his tunes in a fashion that is nothing less than extraordinary, I feel this album could welcome a whole slew of folks who before the movie maybe couldn't have cared less. So I think it's a worthwhile effort.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 151
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