"What's up" with Dionne

[BachtoBacharach]

Interesting that the Sammy Cahn album actually charted in the Top 10 of the jazz charts and this was material that Dionne had not tackled before. I am not sure that Dionne has the name recognition or the pipes these days to have another international hit. It might happen but I'm not holding my breath. Mostly, Dionne sounds as though she phoned this album in with the exception of Feels So Good. Us old-timers who put Dionne's Cahn album (which was legitimately good and extremely well produced) on the Billboard jazz charts are not likely to propel this album anywhere...and are enough younger folks aware enough of Dionne to create another international hit for her? I think it would have to something much more spectacular than this to generate the type of interest you are hoping for but maybe I am wrong...and Feels So Good pales in comparison to TWFAF, Heartbreaker, Alfie, Walk on By or San Jose...her big international hits. I think Dionne is wisely planning to hang it up for a while after this album comes out...wonder why the Feels So Good album' release has been delayed again? I suspect Damon wasn't able to raise enough money from backers to record more original material to complete an album and went back to his garbage can to recycle those abysmal My Friends and Me II tracks he "produced"...just a hunch.

[Downtown]

Nobody here has heard the finished album yet, you are making your assumptions based on Soundcloud.

When the first tracks from "Now" appeared on Soundcloud you actually wrote here the production sounded like better "karaoke tracks" to you. And then the finished album turned-out much better.

And to me the "Feels So Good" track sounds actually very much Cee-lo Green-ish and Gnarls Barkley-ish and if that's produced by Damon, too, then he's not that bad.

I like the Jamie Foxx angle on "Deja Vu" and I like the duet with Cheyenne with her big debut album coming out soon...There are actually some top people here.

Particularly compared to that former boy group has-been Ronan Keating Burt chose to re-record some of his catalogue with recently....

[BachtoBacharach]

The Now tracks turned out to be produced very well and the Soundcloud site did not do them justice and I will be the first to tell you that I was wrong about those...they were much better than Karaoke...they weren't an embarrassment at all as originally feared. I don't believe the same for this project simply because of Damon Elliott's involvement and the ad-nauseum recycling of her old hits. Not a stellar project to be sure. She is in better voice here than I have heard her recently but again, nothing is spectacular here in the least and most is pretty ho-hum. My Friends and Me had top names as well and it went nowhere fast and was appallingly bad. As Blair pointed out, where is the audience for this? I hope I am totally surprised by this and it becomes a success but again, I won't hold my breath...I have listened to the tunes several times and nothing compels me to feel differently, sorry. I am one who believes Dionne should have hung it up about three years ago and apparently she's finally accepting that. These endless remakes are getting...well, endless and endlessly boring. I have supported Dionne Warwick's career since 1963 through good times and bad times but I just can't get excited about any of these tunes. Again, sorry, and even if these tunes find some success which I hope they do, I can't listen to Dionne these days...it's too hard to hear her grind out her old hits in concert and struggle so...I don't expect her to sound the same but what she sings these days bears no resemblance to the originals and doesn't even evoke the originals for me anymore. I can certainly understand Bacharach's feelings on this as well. As far as Ronan Keating...even Bacharach screws up occasionally but I rather hear Ronan Keating these days than hear Dionne in concert. As far as Damon Elliott being "not that bad" as a producer... I suggest an extended listen to My Friends and Me. That explains why I don't have high hopes for this project and if I am wrong and this becomes an international sensation, I'll gladly admit that it became an international sensation but this doesn't change my opinion of the mediocrity of this project, regardless of the "names". Sorry if this offends but I have never been nor will I never become a Dionne Warwick apologist.

[nikray77]

@bachtobacharach you were not the first to admit that you were wrong it was after it's been pointed out by other posters, that you were wrong. You do
to dance with these issues regarding Dionne projects. Again I am not sure what Dionne could ever do to make you happy. Although I am not a big fan of
Damon's it's Dionne's recordings to do as she likes.

Regarding Burt, frankly I find his recordings with several other singers/artists these days almost unsustainable in terms of his former efforts. But he has the right to work with whomever he likes are creates the sounds that he enjoys.

[ron hertel]

I remain puzzled by the fact that the 2 most prominent announced collaborators on the "Feels So Good" project (Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder) are not part of the 14 track "Soundcloud" preview link. Both names still appear on Dionne's website: dionnewarwick.us ........ Perhaps they'll be included as a "surprise" in the July 1st release - or - we may hear the same weary old "scheduling conflict explanation"

Ultimately it's an - "IT IS WHAT IT IS" - effort and I think that from what I have heard - it may have some worthwhile moments. ........ nikray77 - you are right on the money when you point out that both Burt & Dionne are free to do whatever they want at this point in their professional life. ..... The fact that they are both still out there making an effort after 50+ years in the business is good enough for me! ...... Nothing can really detract from their overall artistic contributions which to this day are far more appreciated and commercially successful than this newer stuff we continually anticipate and criticize (for better or worse).

[Downtown]

The week it came out Dionne's and Ne-Yo's new version of "A House Is Not A Home" occupied spot No. 2 on the R&B "Streaming Charts". With Michael Jackson's posthumously released "Loving You" in the No. 1 spot and the new Mariah Carey single "Thirsty" in 3rd.

http://singersroom.com/content/2014-05- ... -The-Week/