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Indigo: Women of Song

Olivia Newton-John - Indigo: Women of Song Audio CD

A fair review of the Olivia Newton-John "Indigo: Women of Song" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Olivia Newton-John reviews here, or go back to the Olivia Newton-John tabs.

Band: Olivia Newton-John
Title: Indigo: Women of Song
Rating:

Release Date: 2009-01-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Love Me or Leave Me 2: How Insensitive 3: How Glad I Am 4: Anyone Who Had a Heart 5: Where Have All the Flowers Gone 6: Cry Me a River 7: Summertime 8: Send in the Clowns 9: Rainy Days and Mondays 10: Lovin' You 11: Alfie

Olivia-Indigo...A pleasant surprise
Olivia's voice and multiple styles of singing are just wonderful. I was thrilled to receive, listen to, and thoroughly enjoy the likes of Indigo. I love to hear Olivia sing, and Indigo offers a fantastic delivery of music. I love Indigo. . . . one of my favorite albums to come along in a while. Thank you Olivia.
Douglas,
Atlanta, Georgia USA.

Why no U.S. release? Once again, Amazon.com to the rescue!
Well, I'll sit through anything on a comp ticket (including Heart - and not when they were good, either!), and besides, what could be lovelier than a cool summer night under the stars, the air fragrant with eucalyptus, as Olivia charmed her gym-toned faithful with her enviable string of gold singles that is the soundtrack to our childhoods? For free no less! Newton-John told us she'd recently spent five days with producer Phil Ramone in a Malibu studio recording an album described as a tribute to the girl singers who either inspired her or whom she just plain admired, and the three selections she performed that evening - Anyone Who Had a Heart, Cry Me A River, and Alfie - were among the evening's most enchanting. As if my life weren't gay enough, I found myself at the Greek last summer when a friend of a friend chanced into a set of unexpected comps to Olivia's summer barnstorm across North America with an orchestra and a few rock pieces. Yet Indigo: Women of Song would enjoy no U. S. release. Once again, Amazon. com to the rescue!

Anyone looking to Indigo for definitive reinterpretations of these classics will surely be disappointed. It is not Olivia's intention to, say, out-Streisand Streisand, for to do so would be disrespectful to those whom she means to honor. She instead merely wants to share with her audience the music that made her want to sing professionally in the first place, including some numbers that began her journey to icon status. She sang Summertime, for example, on her first ever television appearance at age 15. Her Anyone Who Had a Heart doesn't need to eclipse Cilla Black or Dionne Warwick; it appears because it was the song she performed in the finals of a televised Australian talent contest that won her a trip by ship to London in 1966. The rest, as they say, is history. We forgive her for not even ATTEMPTING a glass-shattering Minnie Ripperton Maxell Moment on Loving You because the liner notes reveal that Ripperton was the first woman Olivia knew to die of breast cancer, a fate that the eternally youthful Australian managed to dodge herself in the early 90's.

In a career marked with hit after hit and achievement after achievement - from unwittingly ticking off Nashville's old guard after country music's establishment embraced a foreign pop singer, to the enduring popularity of Grease, to giving the aerobics craze of the 80's a theme song, Physical, whose racy video winks at gym queens disappearing into a steamroom together, thus ensuring its recurrent status on gay bar playlists everywhere - Newton-John's catalogue does not boast a career-defining, non-soundtrack studio album worth owning, which probably explains why the artist is oft-anthologized (enough with the greatest hits packages already!). Nothing in the league of, say, Tapestry, Nick of Time, Dusty in Memphis, Jagged Little Pill, Blue, or The Broadway Album. But while Indigo: Women of Song does not elevate Newton-John to Serious Chanteuse status, at least it won't sound dated in ten years.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Dolly Parton's tribute to hits of the 60's & 70's, Those Were The Days.

1970's pop star...still at it!
The sometimes charming seventies songbird surfaces from time to time with new albums, and her efforts are a mixed lot. Those with an interest in nostalgia and 70's pop culture might be advised to sample this album. Ranging from the unbearable "Gaia" to the ill-advised "Back With A Heart",both filled with unmemorable new tunes, this latest effort is a cover version album. Many reviewers choose to fault Olivia's weakened voice, but I have a fondness for her and we must allow our singing stars to age, it's natural. I found my copy of this CD for a buck, but it's enjoyable enough to purchase at full price. There's no question, it's the most listenable album she's recorded since the end of the 1970s, and is perhaps a perfect ending to a career. .

Indigo - Women of Song (Oops! More than a few weeks in the studio required!)
" Sorry to disappoint those Olivia fans who idolize the woman, but even back then -- back in 1981 and 1988 -- back when Olivia's voice didn't crack and she didn't have to pretend to sound sultry to "cover up" the fact that she cannot help it when she croaks notes -- even back then, she couldn't have held those notes. I can think of two Olivia songs in which she is able to hold a note for an incredibly and ridiculously long time: "Silvery Rain" (from "Physical") and "Big and Strong" from the album, "The Rumour. Recording studios created the magically longs notes you hear. It's actually a digital device meant to artificially sustain sounds.

But our Lovely Livvy isn't the only singer to be treated to some clever producer/arranger's decision to "trick the ear" for listeners. However, to pull it off -- that is, to make an aging, creaky-voiced singer sound "good," it takes lots of studio time. A long time. With many takes. Many, many takes.

Olivia declared herself that one of her newest works, "Indigo - Women of Song," took only a few short weeks to record. Is she perhaps asking us to forgive what is apparently a rushed hack job? Never have Olivia's vocals sounded more raw and shakey. Quite literally, it sounds as if she just woke up. Certainly, the time she spent in the recording studio, where "good take" after "good take" can be pieced together, might have resulted in a better recorded performance. "Alfie" is just pathetic.

Many die-hard Olivia fans say such things as, "Never has Olivia sounded better!" and "Olivia's voice is as strong as ever!" when referring to her latest recordings or her concert performances. I wonder why these fans try to drum this fact into our heads time after time. Just who are they trying to convince?

No, Olivia does not sound as good as she used to. But then how well can anyone expect a 57-year-old singer to compare to a time when she was 29 ("Grease") or 30 ("Totally Hot") or 33, when she recorded "Physical"? ("Physical," truly a breakthrough in the fine art of recording; John Farrar [her long-time producer, a relationship that came to a contractual end with "Soul Kiss,"] knew better than anyone how to manipulate and sculpt Olivia's voice in the recording studio. Reproducing that "sound" on stage [or in rushed recording sessions] was another matter).

Up until 1974, Olivia was a folk singer with modest success in England. 1973's US single "Let Me Be There" was actually just an album fill-in for her UK-released "Music Makes My Day. " The song "Let Me Be There" wasn't even slated for release as a single. But back then, before radio stations were operated by record companies, a DJ played a promo copy of the album and he liked "Let Me Be There. " He played the song on the air and it caught on. The song even made it to the States. It became Olivia's first BIG hit here. The song had a distinctive country sound and no one was more surprised than Olivia that she had to promote the song in the US as a Country and Western singer.

The success brought money, and the money bought more time in fancier recording studios. John Farrar decided to have Olivia drop the hardness in her voice and began producing songs that featured Olivia's unique ability to sing in high, falsetto notes. And it sounded nice. Real nice, I should say, as long as it was finely shaped in the recording studio. Take Olivia's live performance of her 1975 hit "Have You Never Been Mellow," for example. We're talking squeak-ville. And if you listen close, she doesn't "hold" those long notes when she sings the song live. She depends a lot on backup singers. (Olivia has stated on more than one occasion that she does not like to perform live. She is very much aware of the fact that she became a star because of her "studio sound").

After "Grease," Olivia had a new-found celebrity, and her good looks and sweet disposition practically guaranteed a hit follow-up album. Hence, "Totally Hot" was born. Another vocally challenging set of songs to sing; but she pulls it off wonderfully under the wings of John Farrar's impeccable sense of perfection. The studio production is flawless.

But even at 30, Livvy knew better than to try to hit those incredibly high notes when she toured for 1978's "Totally Hot" album. She performed "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" live in concert and, not surprisingly, gone were those extremely high notes at the end of the song. And "A Little More Love" lacked those high notes, too, toward the end, where vocal control is not as certain during a "live" performance as it is in the safe confines of a recording studio where no one can hear your "mistakes. "

Olivia was 39 when she recorded most of the tracks for "The Rumour," and it is very evident that a huge amount of time was spent recording it. Her vocals are clear and the performance is excellent. One listen and you'd be able to tell a lot of money went into the album's production. Many, if not all, of the songs require deft singing ability -- which may be why none of these songs are ever performed in concert.

Olivia's latest release, "Phenomenal Women," available only at Hallmark Gift shops until October 31, 2005, indicates that a little more attention was paid to Olivia's delivery than during the recording of "Indigo. " Her voice actually sounds nice. Not at all croaky. And the songs are nice, too. However, it is no John Farrar production. But Olivia paid the man homage by re-recording "Don't Stop Believin'" as a samba, and in the liner notes, she credits him by saying, "John, you're songs are still the best. " Yes, Olivia, they are STILL the best. His songs are still your biggest hits. It was his production that gave you a career. He wrote the only two big hits from "Grease," "You're the one that I Want" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You. "

If you want to listen to an excellent album, try "The Rumour. " Olivia pretty much sounds the same as she did when she was younger, and the songs are very, very good. The album went nowhere, but it is probably the most masterful work in her catalog.

And, yes, "The Rumour" bombed because MCA did not promote it the way a record company should promote a new album. Much of the promotion was left up to HBO, which aired "Olivia - Down Under," an entertaining hour-long celebration of Australia's 200th year of independence that featured all the songs on the album. But before MCA would release the LP, the record company, feeling the album wasn't commericial enough, demanded that the songs "The Rumour" and "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed" be added.

A snafu on the record company's part played in the title track's demise. They released two versions of the song on 45 - one, the LP version; the other - a terrible remix. An edited version of the remix ended up being played on the radio, but only the LP version of the 45 was available in stores. By the time the record company discovered the error and distributed the radio mix as a single, the song had fallen off the chart.

Then the record company released "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed. " It might have been a hit if the studio hadn't released it at the exact same time someone else -- a male singer -- released it. HIS record company made sure his version got lots of airplay, both on radio and on TV music channels. Before her version could even have a chance to be a hit, it was already a flop. Certainly, DJs wouldn't be allowed to play the same song by two different artists from competing labels.

In 1989, MCA refused to even listen to Olivia when she approached the bigwigs about recording a children's album. She was determined and she shopped the project around. Geffen liked the idea and Olivia signed with them. She heavily promoted the album "Warm and Tender" on talk shows. (She sang the lead-off single, "Reach Out For Me," on Pat Sajak's talk show and cracked so badly during the performance that she excused herself afterward, saying she had "a touch of a cold").

Flash forward ten years and MCA's Nashville branch (they expanded since Olivia's early days) signed her to do a comeback country album. However, word quickly reached the execs that Olivia was experiencing major vocal problems and that the release of the album, "Back with a Heart" may be delayed because it was taking so long to record it. Looking at the situation as an omen that Olivia would not be able to promote the album "as promised" with live tours, they dropped her. She allowed them to drop her (without filing suit) provided she retained the rights to perform the songs live in concert, should she wish to do so. They eagerly consented. (And SHE went on several self-financed tours and sang a few of the songs from "Back with a Heart," including the title track).

It's a different culture here in the US. You're only as great as your latest hit. In Australia, some circles regard Olivia as royalty. Others, more down-to-earth Ozzies, see her as someone who's simply "done good. " Believe it or not, she is still with Australia's Festival Records - the studio that signed her back in 1970. They're proud of their Girl Down Under; and were proud even still during her low peaks. They stayed true to her, even as her voice aged and got weaker and more raspy.

Olivia never really had a powerful voice to begin with, but Olivia's "studio sound" always made her performances sound stellar. And as long as she is singing in the studio, there is no excuse for releasing a final product that showcases flawed vocal peformances.

The producer of "Indigo - Women of Song" should be ashamed for not spending a little more time to capture Olivia's best deliveries. Olivia's voice has always had a tendency to crack whenever she sang live, but you would be hard pressed to hear a single crack on any album produced by John Farrar.

One terrific attribute about Olivia: Even with unsteady vocal cords, she sure knows how to deliver a song. It is in this respect that I agree that Olivia has never sounded better.

I've been an Olivia fan since 1971, but I cannot rave about an album that doesn't deserve it. I'd hate to see her make the same mistake twice.

price gouging
49 for an eleven song cd???? is it based on the price of oil????. $29.

You can see a complete list of all Olivia Newton-John discography, or go back to the Olivia Newton-John tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.