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Lunch » Tags » Music » Reviews » What Women Want

What Women Want

1 rating: 5.0

An album by Original Soundtrack

Producers: Glen Brunman, Bonnie Greenberg-Goodman. Engineers include: Robert Fernandez. Audio Mixer: Don Murray . Audio Remixers: Bill Schnee; Richard Perry. Arrangers: Eddie Arkin; Marty Manning; Nelson Riddle. The film WHAT WOMEN WANT, starring the … see full wiki

Tags: Music, Pop Vocal

1 review about What Women Want

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What I Want

Dec 30, 2003

by laurashrti
posted in Music Matters

Rating:

Pros: Beautiful classic songs, classic artists. Fantastic!

Cons: I want more!

The Bottom Line: This is a beautiful soundtrack that anyone will enjoy. If you're a fan of Sinatra, try this, definitely!

Not long ago, I emailed Olive Garden asking for more information on the music they play in their restaurants. Besides the always-wonderful food (now that’s another review), they also have always-wonderful, comfortable music. By comfortable, I mean that whenever I go to Olive Garden I feel like I’m at home, listening to my own stereo at my own dining room table. Anyway, like I said, Olive Garden itself is another review in itself. The representative who emailed me back said the music is mixed specially for Olive Garden, but she said she personally recommends the soundtrack to What Women Want. And so, months later, I have purchased it.

Something’s Gotta Give- Sammy Davis, Jr. This CD opens with a bang with an almost-unison brass lick in this song. Sammy Davis, Jr. has a beautiful syrupy voice, like many other artists on this soundtrack. “When an irrepressible smile such as yours warms an old implacable heart such as mine don’t say no because I insist somewhere somehow someone’s gonna be kissed;” with lyrics like these sung by a voice such as his, I feel like I’m being romanced in an old movie. This is such a classic song!

Too Marvelous for Words- Frank Sinatra. Why, this song itself is just too marvelous for words. But I’ll try… You have surely heard Frank Sinatra’s voice before, so maybe I can ease the difficulty of trying to describe it. This song has a small jazz band feature in the middle, with a few short pizzicato bass solos. Ahh, beautiful. The vibrator in Frank Sinatra’s voice blends so well with the instrumental band, I barely have to listen to the lyrics to appreciate this song.

The Best is Yet to Come- Nancy Wilson. Now, this song is one of my favorites, but I was a little nervous, as I favor a male’s voice singing this. But… wow! Nancy Wilson has a great, flexible voice! This song is unisex in the lyrics, and after the first line, I was hooked. I didn’t even notice it was a woman singing, except for her beautiful, lower-ranged voice. Boy, she really has a pair of lungs; she could hit the imperative “louder” notes perfectly.

I Won’t Dance- Frank Sinatra. What a sassy intro on this song! I love the old jazz band sound. The baritone saxophone sticks out just enough to please me; its not overpowering, but it is noticeable. Again, Frank has a perfect voice in this song, but I really like the instrumentals backing him up. I found myself listening more to the detailed saxophones and trumpets; wow! I love this song.

B!tch- Meredith Brooks. So, you can probably tell its time for a break from the jazzy music. This song was pretty popular a few years ago, and I can definitely see why. Here’s Meredith, saying “Hello! Here I am, and I’m a b!tch!” Each thing she says I can see in myself; “I’m a little bit of everything all rolled into one…” And really, enough is said with the simple line, “Take me as I am.” This song is really powerful.

The Good Life- Tony Bennett. This song begins with a beautiful but sad sounding string intro. I really like the simple piano licks that mimic Tony’s voice, they, along with the gentle drums add a relaxed, “good life” feeling to this song. Ah, we all crave that good life, and it would be one if we all took the time to listen to music like this once in awhile.

Mack the Knife- Bobby Darin. Bobby Darin’s voice sounds a bit younger than the other male artists on this soundtrack, but he sure plays it up enough to match them. I really like the middle section, where Bobby gets so into the music, as do the trumpets. The bongo drums add a great touch to this song as well.

I’ve Got You Under My Skin- Frank Sinatra. Yes, there is a reason Frank Sinatra appears three times on this CD… he really is a father of this music genre. This song is really laid back and the lyrics are really beautiful. I really like the trombone solo in the middle, it is so powerful! And it is accented by a saxophone, which I am partial to anyway, being a saxophonist myself. But hey, it’s a great break!

If I Had You- Nnenna Freelon. This song starts out really beautifully, with a gentle, slow beat, and a soft saxophone solo. Nnenna Freelon comes in with a deep, rich voice. Her voice maintains is syrupy feeling throughout the whole song, and this is another song that makes me want to curl up by the fire. Her voice sounds so excellent next to the recurring saxophone riffs, and I really love her almost-scat singing close to the end. This is a favorite of mine on the soundtrack.

What a Girl Wants- Christina Aguilera. Now come on, you knew this song would be on here somewhere. Actually, while the song annoys me a slight bit, it really does fit the title. Christina declares her thanks for her man’s ability to know just what she wants. And really, even I can admit that women should be thankful; we’re such touchy creatures… when a guy knows what we want, it is sometimes a miracle.

Nobody But Me- Lou Rawls. Another sassy beginning that forces my head to bob… I love the soft bass and piano together, they really contrast but match well. Boy, this man’s voice is fantastic! It’s got a texture that stands out against the other artists on this album. Not everyone will be a fan, I’m sure, but this song is really worth a listen. The muted trumpet solo is really great. This song is another favorite of mine on this soundtrack.

Night and Day- The Temptations. This song begins very brightly, and is joined by a beautiful male voice with a deep texture to it. This song is jazzy like many of the others on this soundtrack, but it has a somewhat different quality to it, I think because it features mostly strings. This is a really pretty song.

I’ve Got the World on a String- Peggy Lee. Fantastic, pure jazz intro to this song, with a really cute flute riff. Peggy Lee’s voice is another syrupy one, and it’s great for this selection. She has a great vibrato tone that I just love. This song features great instruments as well, and has a beautiful trumpet solo in the middle.

Everything About You- Alan Silvestri. This song has a gentle piano intro, and leads into lovely soprano saxophone (I believe) solo, and then into a very beautiful string feature. Actually, all the instruments featured in this song (which are many!) are absolutely wonderful. This song has so many parts to it; its beautiful and fairly hard to describe. You’ll love it, even if you don’t normally enjoy instrumental music. Wow.

I am absolutely satisfied with this CD. I feel so comfortable and happy when I’m listening to it. The jazzy songs are warm and friendly, and broken up nicely with only a few more “poppy” songs; songs that actually match and fit in with the movie. This is a really beautiful soundtrack, and I’m sorry I didn’t purchase it earlier. If you love Olive Garden music, this is a great CD for you. I purchased it only a few hours ago, and it’s already a favorite; I’ve already listened to all the way through a few times.

This would be a great CD for anyone who wants to experimentally listen to jazzy music, or someone who likes Frank Sinatra and would like to try other similar artists.

My one and only complaint with this CD is that there isn’t more music on it.

Recommended:
Yes

Great Music to Play While: Romancing

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