misterjones
Active Member
Manilow's voice is nothing like Tormé's, but that doesn't mean they might not share some stylistic similarities. Compared to many pop singers today, Manilow's talents are far better--he has good, accurate pitch, a unique sound, and a lot of respect for the music he performs. As they say, his heart's in the right place.
A couple of albums past Paradise Café, Manilow put out an album called Swing Street and I did not warm to it at all--the brass was played on synthesizer and it just sounded cheesy. Had it been done with a real band throughout the entire album, I probably would have liked it. Singin' with the Big Bands sounds like a good disc! I will have to check it out.
Sometimes I think there's a bit of Miniver Cheevy in people like Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart (and someone even suggested Billy Idol in an SNL skit). Not that they didn't have successful careers, but they might have had more lasting fame had they been born 20-30 years earlier.