The sincerity of her makes me cry. It was love at first listen. Jane's version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", containing the lead-in or preamble is so sweet. I played Jane's treatment of that song for my Wife, as she lay dying of cancer, on the afternoon of Sunday, June 9, 2002. The song made her smile. Thank God for the talent of Jane Monheit.
From the first notes Monheit finds a distinctive rendering here... her voice may be pitch perfect and naturally elastic... but its also emotive and expressive more than one might expect for a 22 year old, her signature lyricalness and diction already evident... It's a mystery why she's not an iconic figure in music today... 10+ years on she's better than ever...
Excellent rendition! Jane is one of the great interpreters of jazz in my opinion (of the twenty-first century). The lyrics obviously mean something to her, and it's quite obvious when you listen! Beautiful work!
She can pull it off! And the metal of her voice fits the jazz genre. I have to disagree with you tadd1, she is very good! Although I will agree that she is not 'the' best, she can still sing this song beautifully. Therefore, stop moaning about the greedy producers who promote her in the music industry and better moan about truly untalented famous singers... Jane Monheit is not one of them! Go complain about the "qualified", i.e. big boobed singers that are the disgrace of today's music industry.
unfortunately this is not the same rendition on the album. I actually don't know which one is better. Both are different but awesome. I do believe that she preferred this version but was under the influence of the label. "Those days are gone." as she put it.
I don't think she sounds anything like Ella. Ella was an inspiration, but there is no copycat here. She has her own sound. When I hear Jane, I know it's her. She's fantastic!
She could have made it back in the day or any day. Beautiful voice, beautiful song. And she only has two instruments accompanying her, imagine if she had an orchestra.
Jane is a knockout, beautiful and sexy but a mediocre singer. I'm stuck on the great singers of a bygone era, tho':Jo Stafford, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, et al. They are hard acts to follow.
@slerner Its a recent staple of 'modern' journalism; the indirect shot. Like shooting an anchorman by actually shooting him through a rear-view mirror or some other obstacle to standard 'direct' techniques. Its supposed to draw attention because its not how we normally perceive journalists.
I just saw her on the Ethan Bortnick Power of Music Concert on PBS, and immediately ordered her album from our library. She knocks this number out of the park!
WOW THIS GIRL IS JUST GORGEOUS AND HAS AN AMAZING VOICE!! She looks like a young Patsy Cline and sounds a bit like Karen Carpenter. An absolutely heavenly combination to me.
Hearkens back to the Golden Age. She's older now but nice to see true young talent appreciating past styles. She absolutely nails the whole program. Beautiful artistic effort.
OMG! THIS is the Jane Monheit i LOVE! Back in the day, she could outsing ANYONE! PERIOD! All those american idol girls could learn a thing or two from her. I LOVE THE ACAPELLA introductory verse.
That's wonderful you have seen her perform multiple times. I should be so lucky. I'll bet she just glows with beautiful glamour as well as her amazing voice and stage presence.
Jane is a fantastic singer! There isn't a song that she couldn't sing! I especially enjoy her vocal improvisations and the way she expresses the melody of the lyric! Beautiful music!
I've seen her perform 3 times. She knows how to put on a show. This version is different from the album. I can't say which one I like more. Both are great for different tempos/moods.
Yeah, Jane's awesome! She can sing anything! Music is in her soul. The whole band is incredible. Jane usually takes time out to sign autographs for her fans...very nice lady!
