Search - Rene Croan :: Renaissance

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Rene Marie | Colorado, USA | 10/26/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"hey, all you rene croan fans! the cd's great, no doubt. but a few things need clarification.
first, the songs listed here aren't the ones on the CD. i went to the flat 5 site (flat 5 is the name of the recording studio for this cd) and found out they have another black female, zakiyah, on their site. they have gotten the two song lists interchanged. the song list for "renaissance" is as follows:
1. it might as well be spring
2. comes love
3. i thought about you
4. mr. sandman5. caravan
6. peel me a grape
7. inchworm
8. tennessee waltz
9. be my husband
10. dindi
11. ain't misbehavin'
12. soon it's gonna rain
13. them there eyesthere aren't any original tunes of rene's on this one. but the arrangements really click. as a testament to that, i can't find anymore of these cds anywhere - glad i got mine when she was less famous. because it's out of print, it's gotten to be a real collectors item. but soon to be re-released, according to her website. also, instead of the slick production of the record label she's now on, rene wrote her own liner notes on this cd. a nice, personal touch. it's even got pictures of her as a little girl with her mom and baby brother, and again as a teenager on the inside pages. funny, but touching. i love it.second, rene croan changed her name to rene marie a few years back, right after she signed with maxjazz and just before releasing the first of her two cds with them, "how can i keep from singing?" (2000) and "vertigo" (2001). (this could be another reason the first cd's so valuable!) i found all this out (and more) when i went to her website, renemarie.com(just a little trivia, this is the only cd by her, so far, that has guitar, bass, drums and saxophone - a great sound by harris levy out of lynchburg, va. by the way, - but no piano!)"

A GEM by any other name...

Rene Marie | 03/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Everyone wants to discover the "next big thing", and to say, "I heard her/him when they were first starting out." Fortunately, this CD will grant you, gentle reader, just such an opportunity. This regional release by a Virginia-based jazz singer probably attracted little notice outside of those of us fortunate enough to have heard her in concert. One such vigilant viewer, however, was Richard McDonnell, owner of the Maxjazz label, who signed Rene Marie (The singer formerly known as Rene Croan) to his label. Now, two albums and two Association for Independent Music Awards for Jazz and Cabaret Singing later, the jazz world scurries onto her bandwagon.On this set, you'll be introduced to her lush voice, her mastery of old-school styles, her flexible and creative phrasings and her clear emotional engagement with her material. You'll find reworkings of standards, both from jazz, such as Ain't Misbehavin', Caravan, It Might As Well Be Spring, and I Thought About You, and beyond. Inchworm?, Mr. Sandman?, Tennessee Waltz? - don't laugh, just listen and open up your mind. Rene has such style and flair that you'll love her treatment of the most surprising songs. My favorites are the lesser-known songs from her concerts, particularly Be My Husband and Peel Me A Grape.(For purposes of this review, I'm working from the track list in my own copy of the CD - this varies from the list on the Amazon page. In addition to the above mentioned songs, other tracks are Comes Love, Dindi, Soon It's Gonna Rain and Them There Eyes.)By all means, check out How Can I Keep From Singing? and Vertigo by Rene Marie, featured elsewhere on Amazon.com. But Renaissance is a well-done album and a fun listen as well. Pop it into your player and you, too, can say you heard Rene back when..."