Search - Lorna Luft :: Songs My Mother Taught Me

Judy would have loved it

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 11/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lorna Luft pays tribute to her mother Judy Garland with an incredible CD bursting at the seams with songs Judy sang. This truly IS an album of songs that Lorna's mother taught her both at home in the 1950s and later on in the 1960s when they occasionally did concerts together. Indeed, the entire CD, the liner notes, and all the sweat, labor and planning reflect an enormous amount of love and affection Lorna still has for a mother whose memory she holds so dear. Lorna cares a lot about her mother's legacy; and I believe that Lorna must miss her mother very much to have produced such a marvelous tribute CD to Judy.



But already I am going off a bit too much on a tangent. The album itself couldn't be more packed with great Judy Garland songs. Although this is not a live recording of Lorna's tribute show to her mother, Lorna delivers these songs flawlessly with the same loving care and honest emotion she exudes in her tribute shows.



The CD begins with a recording of Judy Garland herself singing "Lorna;" and then Lorna comes in to sing songs including "Chicago;" "I Feel A Song Coming On;" "Rockabye Your Baby (With A Dixie Melody);" "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" and so much more. Garland fans will notice that these are, of course, all songs that Judy sang often. In addition, I also like how Lorna interjects a bit of conversation with her daughter Vanessa and her son Jesse about how she wishes they had known their grandmother Judy. Lorna describes Judy in such a loving, sweet way that anyone would want to meet Judy Garland.



The musical arrangements lack nothing, either. The "Garland Overture" sounds just as strong and dramatic as ever, even if it's been tweaked slightly here and there. The musical accompaniments for Lorna's songs serve to bolster her performance without ever stealing the spotlight from Lorna as she sings. It's truly very well done.



The liner notes give us great photos of Lorna with just a handful of the numerous people who worked to make this album a reality; and the artwork impresses me. The quality of the sound is excellent.



Of course Lorna Luft fans will want this CD in their collections; a CD from Lorna is long overdue. Lorna sings very well and she performs beautifully throughout the album. Judy Garland fans will be touched by Lorna's loving tribute to her mother; and the CD will be very, very enjoyable regardless of whether or not anyone's seen Lorna's tribute show to her mother of the same name. This is not a live album; but I point that out merely to describe the album further--this studio album is every bit as enjoyable as Lorna's stage tribute to her mother.



Very few superstar mothers have a talented daughter so devoted and loving that decades after they're gone their daughters turn out tribute albums to them. Then again, however, who else but Judy Garland would deserve this fine honor? "Celebrities" may come and go; but there will never be another superstar like Judy; and Lorna knows that. That is why Lorna made this CD with extra love and care that shows through in Lorna's timing when she sings and Lorna's interpretations of great ballads including The Man That Got Away.



Great job, Lorna--I know your mother's smiling down at you from heaven. She's very, very proud of you.

"

At last!!!

California Greg | USA | 10/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've seen two incarnations of this show on stage -- first at the Cinegrill in Hollywood and then several months later at the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills during an extended run there. Obviously, I liked it! And, we've waited forever for a recording of Lorna doing many of these numbers. To say it's been worth the wait would be an understatement.



Lorna gives it her all in a touching and lovely tribute to her mother. In interviews and such, Lorna often says words to the effect of, "People come up to me and they tell me they loved Judy Garland and that they miss her, but I just miss my mother so I can't relate to that." But, I think she has to realize that a project like this helps gap that divide for the fans who did love and do miss Judy Garland. She clearly does, too, and hopefully, she's finding personal and professional fulfillment by creating this show and hunkering down with this material and sharing it with the world. She's offered us a glimpse into "those shadows" and it's a happy occasion.



Her vocals are terrific, yet nuanced enough to not be carbon copies of Judy's performances of the same material. She emerges as a confident, in control performer and contributes wonderfully to the legacy that is her family...and this includes Liza, too. The long medley of "how mama got to Carnegie Hall" is terrific as Lorna recounts her mother's professional triumphs through her music. She reminds listeners that Judy did a lot of things first. In the foreward to one of John Fricke's books, she wrote, "I tell my kids that before Brittany, before Whitney, before Tina, before Madonna, before Barbra, there was Judy and she set the standard for much of what was to come later" and that's so true.



Buy this CD and appreciate Lorna for all her talents while she remembers an artist the likes of which we'll not see again."

Out from the Shadows...

Rachel Lewis | Ampthill, Bedfordshire, UK | 10/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having a legend as a Mother can cause havoc in your life - something Lorna Luft knows all too well; and as she will admit she spend a good many years running away from her Mother's legacy. Having turned and faced the music, Lorna has grasped hold of this timeless songbook of her Mothers and made it her own... with superb results! 'Songs My Mother Taught Me' is the album of the show celebrating the life of Judy Garland. Lorna delivers an outstanding vocal performance on this album, the arrangements are fantastic and I think you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who can improve on Lorna's version of 'The Man that Got Away'."