Search - Various Artists :: Divine Goddesses: Music With a Twist

Goddesses, Divas & Dolls, Oh My!

Steven Housman | West Hollywood, CA & Miami, FL | 09/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Never have I uncovered such a wonderfully eclectic collection of Goddesses, unless I burned the disc myself. This compilation is subtitled "Music With A Twist" and that's an understatement. This 69 track, three CD collection covers the conventional, the operatic and the land of disco and dance, with a few movie stars thrown in for good measure, who weren't exactly known for their vocals. Can you say Davis, as in Bette?! Yes, the last time I was aware that Bette used her throat muscles for vocalizing was in the 1962 classic Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? when she sang her heart out for "Daddy." No, that's not the Davis tune that made this cut, but halfway through Disc One is a rare performance of her singing out "Turn Me Loose On Broadway." Talk about camp. She's sandwiched right between Edith Piaf's masterpiece "Vie en Rose" and Doris Day's delicious Oscar-winning "Secret Love." The spectacular Shirley Bassey kicks the whole set off with "Never, Never, Never" and we travel down a who's who of music and theatre from there. There are a couple of ditties from the original sex queen Mae West, who has a cut on Disc One and Three, with "I Like A Guy" and "I'm No Angel," respectively. We then travel on "Downtown" with Petula Clark, while Billie Holiday offers up some "Strange Fruit." Even Broadway legend Ethel Merman gets in on the act (how could you keep her out?) with her cover of Cole Porter's "You're The Top." Leslie Gore makes an appearance with her liberated "You Don't Own Me," just before operatic diva Dame Joan Sutherland blows us away with "I Puritani: Son Vergin Vezzosa." But that's just before Rosemary Clooney's "Lady Is A Tramp, Tallulah Bankhead's "You Go To My Head" and Dionne Warwick's magnificent song that put her on the map and the pop charts, "Don't Make Me Over." And that's just some of the samplings from Disc One! The magnificent Judy Garland kicks off Disc Two with one of her signature songs, "The Man That Got Away," and I'm telling you, that vocal on that song never gets old. Marlene Dietrich follows with "Give Me The Man," while Connie Francis never sounded so great on one of our favorites "Where The Boys Are." If there was ever a drag queen song, that's one that would make the cut. Miss Dolly Parton's stunning rendition of "Too Lonely Too Long" comes just before Julie London's sensuous take on her signature "Cry Me A River." And what would a collection of Goddesses be without an appearance by Madonna? Yes, we have the rarely heard "Dalida" just before Leontyne Price wows us with "Rondine: Chi il Bel Sogno di Doretta." Diahann Carroll offers up one of her best with "I Never Has Seen Snow" just before Patsy Cline takes us "Walkin' After Midnight." Other tracks from Aretha, Hildegarde (remember the ice queen?) and Carmen Miranda round out the 24-track disc before Vicki Carr's emotional "Ave Maria" and Patti Labelle's "You'll Never Walk Alone" closes the second act. Disc Three dances out of the gate with Anita Bell's #1 one hit wonder "Ring My Bell," while Gloria Gaynor keeps that disco ball rolling with the gay anthem of all gay anthems, "I Am What I Am." Still feel like dancing? Blondie makes an appearance with "Heart of Glass" and the Three Degrees wonder "When Will I See You Again." The underrated Candi Staton disco ditty "Young Hearts Run Free" thumps in as does Grace Jones' "My Jamaican Guy." Gladys Knight's powerful rendition of "I've Got To Use My Imagination" comes halfway through the final act, but not before Marilyn Monroe's showstopper "Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend" shines bright. Eartha Kitt purrrrs up with "I Want To Be Evil" and "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)." Next we hear Tina Turner, Sister Sledge, and the exquisite Etta James. To say that this is a collection for all may not be true. If you enjoy great music from some of the finest voices of the 20th century (and who doesn't?), you can't go wrong with this collection. I wish I could give you a review of every single track, but I'm afraid it would bleed over into my next two columns. How appropriate that this set contains 69 tracks. They really know their audience, don't they?

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