Anne Murray Album: “Duets: Friends & Legends”

I have been an Anne Murray fan all my life. I grew up listening to her music. I know most of the songs on here but not all of them. My favorite track is "You Needed Me". Anne and Shania Twain sing so well together. I also love her duet with KD Lang. They harmonize great so well on "A Little Love Song". Amother gem is the duet with the late great Dusty Springfield. "I Just Fall In Love Again" is a classic love song. "Snowbird" is a track that makes me feel happy. Sarah Brightman has such a pretty voice. Other tracks that stand out here are "Danny's Song" with Martina McBride and "Another Pot O' Tea" with Emmylou Harris. I never heard of the singer Isabelle Boulay, but she sings beautifully with Anne on the French song "Si Je Te Revois". The piano playing is lovely on this track. I have never heard the song "You Won't See Me", but it is very upbeat. I like the guitar playing here. I love the music of Anne Murray.

I just adore Anne Murray. There is something about her that is so welcoming and inviting and familiar. It's like she's a member of the family or an old friend. I grew up listening to her as a very small child. My mom and dad often played her records and 8-tracks. All these songs on Anne's new CD, "Duets: Friends & Legends" are so special and perhaps even motivational. Anne's voice is so strong and harmonious on each of the tracks. I can't say that it's better than the originals, I'd have to say that it's certainly a tossup! My favorite song is "Danny's Song." That has to be one of Anne's most recognized and celebrated hits because it's so fundamental and universal in a way. The lyrics could really apply to just about anyone. And the new version on this CD with Martina McBride is absolutely stunning. I love how Anne is able to mix both the old and the new on "Duets" and come up with a contemporary and creative work of art. Some of my other favorite songs on this CD include: "Snowbird" (one of Anne's biggest country-crossover hits,) "Daydream Believer" (sounds so perfect with Nelly Furtado!) and "You Needed Me" (sung with another country-crossover star, Shania Twain.) I have so much respect for Anne because she is such a brilliant artist with so much talent and she truly is a very, very beautiful person. Who do I recommend this CD to? Anyone with a heart. Or to anyone that's feeling down because no matter how you feel Anne Murray can lift your spirits. "Duets" will always put a smile on your face!

2008 is getting off to a great start with a terrific new album by the venerable Canadian recording artist Anne Murray. Produced by Phil Ramone, "Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends" quite unexpectedly blew me away. It is that good.

Ordinarily, I am not that big a fan of these "Duets" projects. I have found that a great many artists resort to these kinds of gimmicky productions in the waning years of their careers. Rod Stewart is one artist who certainly comes to mind. But this disc is the exception. For Anne Murray is still at the top of her game at age 62. And just about every one of the female artists she chose to work with on this project does an outstanding job as well. The roster reads like a "who's who" of Canadian female recording artists. Add to that impressive list the likes of Carole King, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah Brightman and Martina McBride and you have all the ingredients for an outstanding disc. Of the 17 tracks on "Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends" a dozen are remakes of some of her biggest chart hits. Of these, perhaps my very favorite is the tune that Anne sings with her daughter Dawn Langstroth. The haunting "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" will send chills up your spine. I also thoroughly enjoyed "Danny's Song" with Martina McBride, and Anne's collaboration with Sarah Brightman on her 1970 hit "Snowbird". What an outstanding performance by both of them! Then there are the familiar hits done with a very fresh approach. Among these I can recommend "Daydream Believer" with Nelly Furtado and "A Little Good News" with the Indigo Girls. Finally, there are 5 other tunes on this disc that never appeared on the Billboard charts that you might not be familiar with. They are all terrific but my very favorite would have to be "Song For the Mira" a tune that Anne recorded with Celtic Woman. Very moving!

I see where some reviewers found this disc to be a bit boring. I could not disagree more. I was thoroughly impressed by the outstanding vocal performances on each and every song on this album. I am sure that most Anne Murray fans will be thrilled with what they hear here. In addition, I found that the liner notes included with "Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends" are among the very best that I have ever seen. My impression is that this album was an extremely well thought out project from start to finish. Kudos to everyone involved! Very highly recommended!

Its Good to see Anne Murray recording again...the voice sounds great,but the production is boring...Sorry Phil. I worked with Phil back in 95' on the Robert Lamm cd "Life Is good in my Neighborhood"...i thought he was washed up back then...Its a shame she didn't opt for some New Blood for the arranging and producing of this album...otherwise I do enjoy hearing her with KD Lang...No male Duets? thats not right...but oh well i guess I'll take what i can get.Either way i do enjoy hearing her singing...even if i cringe at the song arrangements...very Bland and typical.

EG

Having been a big Anne Murray fan since "Snowbird", I enjoy all of her albums. I admit I was disappointed when I heard this collection was comprised of duets with females only. I think Anne is a great duets singer (Dave Loggins, Kenny Rogers, etc.) and was looking forward to "mixed" duets. However, there is much that works well on this collection. The best is Anne singing with her daughter on "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", one of my personal favorites. The CD liner notes explains why the lyrics mean so much to Anne singing this with her daughter. Dawn's voice has improved even more over a few years and she sounds great and blends great with her mother. Celine and Anne do a knockout lve number on "When I Fall in Love". Most of the other tracks are great, but these are the best. There are two tracks that just do not seem to work - "Cotton Jenny with Olivia Newton-John and "Time Don't Run Out on Me" with Carole King. Both are great Anne numbers, but they just don't sound good between these two ladies. My opinion. Most of the songs on this collection are special to me and have been for some time, so the CD is special to me, even though it may not be my favorite Anne Murray album. Hearing a new version of "Danny's Song" and "Another Pot of Tea" made me smile. And the fact that the duets are performed as female duets, does't really matter. These are songs that belong to one of the best artists ever to hit the airwaves!