Helen Forrest - The Voice of the Big Bands (24 tracks) +Album Reviews

Enchanted Forrest

Richard Dondiego | Sherman Oaks, CA USA | 11/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Arguably the most underrated singer of the 20th Century -- she was also a dear friend and one of the sweetest people you could ever hope to meet. Her impeccable phrasing and unparrelled range and breath control made it sound so easy to be heard over a 17 piece brash band - but her contemporaries knew better. Miss "99 lbs. of dynamite" (according to Downbeat Magazine) was held in the highest regard as the finest big band singer ever by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, etc.... If you think I'm boasting a bit much, remember that as a band singer she never had the luxuary of either choosing her own material, or even the ability to select the tempo of the songs she was obliged to sing by her bosses (Artie Shaw - Benny Goodman - Harry James). Yet "there is not a single song she failed to elevate" by giving them all her special glory. Check out Helen's recording of "When The Sun Comes Out" with the Benny Goodman Orchestra and see if you agree with this fanatic. Albeit one of her lesser known works, it may very well be the greatest interplay you'll ever hear between band and vocalist! I'd love to get your feedback.
-----P.S.---In reply to the person who asked if Helen ever recorded any Christmas music -- the answer is unfortunately NO."

You Don't Want to Walk Without This...

pestcomics | Long Island, New York USA | 12/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first discovered Helen Forrest through an old 78 record I discovered of her hit "I Don't Want to Walk Without You." Although I am not of the WW II generation, I have always loved the sound of the big bands and immediately fell in love with this woman's voice. I discovered this CD and purchased it (mainly to hear a crisper, clearer version of "I Don't Want to Walk Without You") to my amazement I found this collection to be a treasure trove of great big band sounds. It is an awesome sampler of Helen's early musical days featuring a variety of tracks from her years with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James and two duets with Dick Haymes. If you are new to the music of this great lady than I would suggest purchasing this CD to get you started. My favorite tracks are her versions of "Taking a Chance on Love," "Bewitched," "I've Heard That Song Before" and a live recording of a song called "Moonray." If you love the big band music of the 30's and 40's and have never heard Helen Forrest than you are missing a lot. Note: Does anyone know if Helen ever recorded any Christmas music?"

Beautiful, Profound, and Swinging!

pestcomics | 12/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent Cd! Deep in a Dream, Deep Purple, Comes Love, All the Things You Are (my favorite version of this amazing song), Moon Ray, How High the Moon, Shake Down the Stars, Taking a Chance on Love, and many more are beautifully arranged, orchestrated, and impeccably sung by the incomparable Helen Forrest. Very high quality recording. You won't be disappointed!"

Beautiful, classical popular music.

Charles F. Thompson | Johnson City, TN USA | 02/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am in love with Helen Forrest's voice and her songs. She is my favorite of 1930s and 40s songbirds. Her voice is magical, indescribable - like sunlight shining through honey, like the shimmer of a ringing golden bell. Her singing is truly classical popular music, perhaps as never before or since. It is full, rich, straight forward, clear - clear diction, clear melody, clear feelings, with no uncertainty, wariness, or fear of directness, naïveté, and genuine human sentiment. So richly sonorous, gracefully supple, and flexible, her voice has the youth, fresh innocence, and charm of the "girl next door" - that is, if that girl happens to be the most beautiful and charming creature in the world. Her voice is "straight" because she primarily sings the melodic line: there's no florid flurry of notes above and below the key notes, obscuring them in wildly runaway passion or dubious meanderings (the uncertainty and hyper-technique of a fluctuating flurry of notes seems to be a characteristic of cultural novelty -- difference, "coolness," "cutting-edge" -- or of decadence). Helen's voice and treatment of songs is balanced, classical. Beautiful sound rules: there's no full-lung screaming, like the siren of a passing celingine; no uncertain, muted moanings of a norah-nowhere; no jim jop, hip hop, or coarse-flung raspirations. In her music the difference between American popular culture of the 1940s and of recent years is readily apparent. Her songs resonate with many appealing human feelings, genuine love, and sympathy. Love, romance, and respect rule over sexuality. Human sympathy overcomes self-centeredness and indulgence. Beauty and propriety exclude purple uncertainty, meanness, and free-wheeling vulgarity."

Voice of the Big Bands/Helen Forrest

Stuart Barenbaum | 03/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the Voice of The Big Bands CD, Helen Forrest demonstrates clearly that she is the most underrated singer of the Twentieth Century. Perhaps, because of the Billie Holliday fervor and the tendency to seek missing links that trace the evolution of Rock and Roll, she has not been considered "cool" enough for today's critics. Her understated vocal style runs the gamut of passions and is quite sensual, but always feminine, controlled, and simple. I personally like her material with Artie Shaw the best, particularly Deep Purple with its poetic images and brokenhearted reverie. I would recommend this CD to anyone who wants to hear what the feminine soul sounded like before it was uncool to be a classicly vulnerable, ardent, but modest woman."

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