Search - Liza Minnelli :: Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace

Talent is relative...

02/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After several years of publicized substance abuse, botched vocal chord surgery, weight gain, and some painfully inadequate live concerts, Liza Minnelli came back to NYC's Palace Theater for a limited run late last year. And what the new, live-recorded CD of this concert shows is that talent is relative to experience. The show was a long-time dream of Ms. Minnelli's, one in which she would showcase the genius of her father by performing songs from his many musical films. No "Cabaret", no "Theme from 'New York, New York'", no "But the World Goes 'Round." Instead we get classics such as "Love", "Limehouse Blues", "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan", "What Did I Have I Don't Have Now", among many others. These knock-out arrangements (many using the original film arrangements as a platform) are performed with varying degrees of vocal success by Minnelli. Her diction is slightly slurred, her sustained notes have an enormous vibrato, and there are times when you wait in suspense to see if she can navigate the demands of the song. But then, she hurls a note to the rafters and hangs on to it for dear life, and we experience once again the Liza that we have known and loved for nearly 30 years. Talent is relative to experience; our experiences as an audience, our experiences with Liza, the undeniable fact that part of her greatness has to do with her own life experiences.This recording, for all of the vocal shortcomings of the star, is a powerhouse emotional experience in itself. Liza is fearless, proud, and very happy to be performing, that's obvious. And she brings it all together - music, sentiment, experiential memory - in her "11 o'clock number", "The Trolley Song." Backed by the soundtrack vocal from the second half of the famous number from "Meet Me in St. Louis", Minnelli duets with her mother, Judy Garland, to tremendous effect. In the encore for this astonishingly powerful trick, Liza sings the last part of the song again, backed by her five man chorus, and stretches out the climax in a wham-bang, all-stops-out finale wherein she holds the last note for a seemingly impossible length. Wow. She'll probably never again be the supremely in-shape performer that commanded the stage at Radio City Music Hall in the early 1990s, but she still has the drive, the desire, and the lineage to make her a rare one-of-a-kind."

ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT'S GREAT TRAGEDIES

londonsteve | London | 12/05/2000

(1 out of 5 stars)

"No, not the Minnelli story, but this album.Longevity does not equal greatness. Sometimes the brightest, most unique and most important stars blaze the shortest - think Louise Brooks. It does not affect their cultural and iconic status.In 1978/79, my parents took me to see Liza at the London Palladium just after New York New York and The Act on Broadway. I had and haven't seen anything like it. She was fantastic - the best live performance I have ever seen whether pop, rock, classical or MOR. She set London alight.But now, no wonder she hasn't appeared in London in years. Only those who are in love with the ghoulish Garland/Minnelli issue would like this album. She cannot reach the notes, her vibrato is out of control, she gasps for breath and rasps like an old Sylvester the Cat. It is very sad. As a major fan it is heartbreaking. The album is unlistenable, and I wonder what sort of audience enjoys hearing a great legend disintegrate in public - very odd and disturbing. Liza should have retired at her peak and stuck to personal appearances. How come Bassey et al have maintained some decorum but Liza just hasn't been able to? PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS ALBUM. THE RAVE REVIEWS - sobsisters and grave watchers itching for the final drama when they can wring their hands and point to this album as the last nail - ARE TOTALLY MISLEADING.Buy the earlier recordings and remember Liza as she was meant to be - one of the 20th Century's most unique and greatest stars."

GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! Best new CD by ANYONE in years!

03/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In today's popular music world, having any sort of talent is generally a liability. Happily however, Liza has talent galore...a full, robust, warm, powerful voice that is truly exceptional. It is amazing that her voice came back to this remarkable state after that botched vocal surgery a few years back. It is also obvious she worked very hard to get in shape for this show. Some of the notes she hits are truly amazing. The final powerful note of "The Trolley Song" goes on for sixteen seconds. Incredible versions of "What Did I Have", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Limehouse Blues", "If I Had You", and "Love" are other highlights. The whole show is really a joy!Liza is truly the greatest living singer! Buy this CD, and send a message to the record companies that talent is indeed appreciated."