Samples of all 12 songs on Dionne's new album "Now"

[GehVorbei]

...are available through the Amazon Site now:



For me the 4 BB and HD songs she had not recorded before plus "Make It Easy On Yourself" are worth the money for the album alone. Also "Be Aware" "I Just Have To Breathe" and "Reach Out For Me" are new recordings. The information that there were any original tracks from the 60s and 70s included in this project was wrong!

[GehVorbei]

It Was Almost Like A Song lyrics

Songwriters: ARCHIE JORDAN, HAL DAVID

Once in every life
Someone comes along
And you came to me
It was almost like a song
You were in my arms
Right where you belong
And we were so in love
It was almost like a song
January through December
We had such a perfect year
Then the flame became a dying ember
All at once you weren't here
Now my broken heart
Cries for you each night
And it's almost like a song
But it's much too sad to write
Repeat last stanza
It's too sad to write

******************************************************************

Love Is Still The Answer lyrics

Songwriters: BURT BACHARACH, TONIO K

Twenty years ago
I would have told you that the world was round
Good and sound
Freedom bound
The future was secure
Now I’m not so sure
It seems like gravity has been reversed
And getting worse
Nothing works
And everybody hurts
Yes there’s a trail of tears
Down through the years
Of broken hearts
It’s still so hard
To let the sun shine in
Love’s the answer
No matter what, I swear love is
It’s still the answer
Just like it always was
Such a simple truth
Love never changes
Or betrays a friend
From the start
Love was part
Of some fantastic plan
Some brotherhood of man
And now it’s down to us
We either shine the light
Or darkness rules
Our children lose
We’re free to choose our fate
To find our way
Beyond this veil of tears
The sky is clear
And every star
Stands for a heart
That let’s the sun shine in
Love’s the answer
No matter what, I swear love is
It’s still the answer
Just like it always was

[gillanddon]

Hey GehVorbei! That is FABULOUS news!! Are all the songs Phil Ramone produced? This has exceeded all my expectations as they are all great songs and the new ones too.

[blueonblue]

Many thanks Geh Vorbei,
A "must have" CD............Dionne's never sounded better !!!

"blue"

[Blair N. Cummings]

First, I`m glad it`s not the cut & paste job it seemed to threaten to be.
Second, although greatly diminished, Dionne`s voice has been well-produced and it`s far from the embarrassment I was expecting.
Third, I understand (sort of) why some are enthusiastic about this...
but:
"...never sounded better"? A "must-have"?
Come on, guys. It`s a low-key, (relatively) inoffensive release that should serve to usher her into a well-deserved retirement.
(And before any of you calls me " venomous" again, line up some supporting quotes, please...)

[blueonblue]

Blair, I for one will never call you "venomous".......perish the thought !
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

"blue"

[gillanddon]

Listening again .. Blair you are wrong! I posted something last night which I thought maybe offensive and then deleted it. Sorry!! Anyhow, in the scheme of things what are you expecting from Dionne? Please show some respect for survival, age and beauty in a super difficult industry!? What an amazing lady and doesn't she present such a positive image for all who follow? I'm so annoyed by this and think BachtoBacharach is right .. America has abandoned one of their greatest artists for the likes of any other who was nationalist. patriotic and white!

[GehVorbei]

Unfortunately in the U.S. the DW headline's today are along the line of: "Dionne Warwick's money problems mounting". So I care at this time a little less about her legacy than about her ability to sell a couple of hundred thousand units of this album worldwide. And the chances for this are brilliant - Amazon US lists the album weeks before its actual release already in the top 20 of the Adult Contemporary Charts based on preorders.

And at the same time I can not stop listening to her takes on Hal's "99 Miles to LA" and "It Was Almost Like A Song". She might as well have the definitive readings on these two and the two "new" Bacharach songs sound good to me, too.

I think there is enough reason for us here to support this product....Her 35000 (!) Facebook fans clearly do, too.

[steveo_1965]

I have listened to the samples...very interesting how Donne's voice now goes
so into such low keys or tessitura...
I would say, although this version is not my cup of tea, with the new rhythm "feel"
perhaps "I say a little prayer" might appeal to the millenios?
I liked Are You There...

[gillanddon]

I have to say ... I love the low keys in Dionne's voice and have done so for a long time ... I also think the American press is being surprisingly good about Dionne's new release. Europe in general and elsewhere LOVE Dionne! It's difficult to know what one would do on a 50th Anniversary recording but maybe they have got close to the mark ... altho' how do you condense the wealth of Dionne Warwick recordings into one celebratory CD? I can't wait to get hold of a copy. The sound on these pre release excerts sounds fabulous .. just in time for the holiday season.

[GehVorbei]

I had a chance to listen to the complete album a couple of times now and while I'm not always happy with Phil Ramone's production choices I love the song selection and Dionne's vocals.

Phil messes up "Don't Make Me Over" a bit by adding some awful Rock Guitars to the beginning but Dionne's vocal performance is strong and it's fascinating to have the two recordings from 1962 and 2012 bookend her career. And her new takes on songs I have never heard her perform live like "I Just Have To Breathe" and "Be Aware" are deeply moving. They become quite something else from the perspective of a mature woman, IJHTB moves me now in a way it has never done before. So does "Make It Easy On Yourself".

[face]

In case you haven't heard the whole album yet, here's the link: http://news.qthemusic.com/2012/10/dionn ... e_new.html.

This project will go down as one of her very best and most cohesive albums, in my opinion. Some of the songs work better than others, but there are quite a few brilliant gems here: "I Just Have to Breathe," "Be Aware, " "Make It Easy On Yourself," "Love's Still the Answer," and "Almost Like a Song" are classic Dionne in the best way. I'm not one of those fans who needs Dionne to sound like she did 30, 40, or 50 years ago, so you might disagree with my assessment if you're in that camp, but her maturity brings a depth and weight to the older songs that just wasn't there before. "I Just Have to Breathe" and "Make It Easy On Yourself" pack a major emotional punch with her older sounding voice and approach, and they are the album's highlights.

The song selection is mostly interesting and tasteful (I could have done without "Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Are You There With Another Girl," only because she sounds a little too old for the lyrics), and the production is mostly elegant and dignified. Dionne seems to have learned her lesson after some of the unfortunate projects of recent years (this one is in an entirely different league than the unlistenable My Friends and Me, for example). I am very pleased, and I can't wait to purchase two copies--one for the car, one for the house. Good job, Dionne!

[gillanddon]

Yes! I agree. Dionne's songs on 'Now' are super! She should be top of the charts for the next year if each song were released as a single .. like Adele! Can't see her marketing team managing that? They should have a good go if they are worth their money. Dionne is on TV here for the next 10 days as follows which is fantastic! I hope on Jools Holland they sing their wonderful song 'What Goes Around'.

19th Oct .. BBC1 .. 6.30pm .. Strictly Come Dancing. It Takes Two
21st Oct .. BBC1 ..7.30pm ..Strictly Come Dancing
23rd Oct ..BBC2 .. 10.00pm .. Later Live with Jools Holland
24th Oct .. ITV .. 10.30AM .. This Morning
26th Oct .. BBC2 .. 10.00pm .. Live With Jools Holland
29th Oct .. ITV .. 12.30 PM .. Loose Women
2nd Nov .. ITV .. The Alan Titchmarch Show.

My heart and soul is with you all the way!
Donald.

[blueonblue]

It's just like hearing some of these songs for the very first time......stunning album !!!

"blue"

[Bruce Bernard Williams]

EVERY song on this album is like an encore! It should've been a 2-CD set inclusive of one of my favorites, "Paper Maché". I've been listening to Ms. Warwick for fifty (50) years now and, I must say, this is my favorite album of hers-such extraordinary depth! Very compelling and convincing. Can't wait until the 6th!