Ron Isley, Burt Bacharach, Ronald Isley & Burt Bacharach - Here I Am

Ronald Isley had a 2003 that most artists would envy. The Isley Brothers’ Body Kiss went to No. 1 in its first week in the Billboard charts in the spring. Still riding that triumph, the veteran singer teamed with master writer-arranger Burt Bacharach for this set of sumptuous ballads. Such event records – often made to cash in at holiday time or to lift a sagging artist profile – aren’t always musically successful, but Here I Am is undeniable. Recording live vocals with a full orchestra in the manner of Bacharach’s ’60s sessions with Dionne Warwick and others, Isley brings a quietude to this selection of Bacharach-Hal David classics and a couple of new collaborations between the composer and Tonio K. "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" gets the most radical reinterpretation; no longer jaunty, it’s transformed into something bluer but ultimately full of hope. Here I Am, one of the more surprising albums of the year, is a true keeper. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com

Beautiful Music

This is the best CD I have purchased in a long time. Ronald Isley's voice and the emotion he puts into his singing, brought me to tears for about the first 10 times I played it. The feelings just build up for the first few songs. By the time it gets to Here I Am and The Windows of the World the tears were rolling, due to the sheer beauty of the music. July 14, 2008

Bach to the Isley

Ron Isley has the ache the yearning the whipspered voice that should cling to the understated melodies of Burt Bacharach. It doesn't. Dionne Warwick, Carpenters, heck even Elvis Costello has deeper interpretations of Bacharach/David songs. The show case song, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", was never a great B/D song and Isley's slow "new" version just makes it sound like American Idol gone blooey. There are no new arrangements here that are worth anything more than a passing nod.

Burt Bacharach has nothing left to prove, Ron Isley has sung more romantic songs on his own records/cds than one possibly can. This Cd is for completists April 13, 2008

Here it is!

You have to wonder when Mr Bacharach will finally focus on his horses and give up the music. Thankfully for the fans he just seems to have this never ending streak of creativity. BB has colaborated with so many over the years and this effort with one of the Isley brothers is as good as any. The fact is, most of these songs were sung by women in the past and the unique sound of Mr Isley voice and the fresh arrangements by Bacharach bring new life to some great classics. The interpolating of some newer songs with some of these older tracks is astounding. These guys aint spring chickens but the work is energetic, soulful, lush. Do these people ever get tired???? I for one never tire of listening. If you like Burt..just buy it! May 13, 2007

Simply beautiful!

The first time I heard this CD was on a fund raiser program for public television and I wanted it. The melding of Bacharach's lyrics and music with Ron Isley's beautiful voice captivates me and I play the CD over and over. Beautiful music moves me to tears for it reminds me of the beauty of God's hands in our lives; creating us and filling us with gifts that shower us with blessings. Buy it and just sit back and listen over and over. It's simply beautiful! April 10, 2007

Masterful Songs Exquisitely Expressed

Anything Burt Bacharach gets involved with is worth checking out, and so when this surprising combination of talent appeared on ITunes, I couldn't hit the 'buy' button fast enough! Burt seems to have taken to offbeat collaborations in the last decade, beginning with that wonderful 'Painted by Memory' album around 1998 in which he collaborated with Elvis Costello on all new original material. That album is a gem and one of the most powerfully emotional recordings I own.

Here, he enlists the vocal stylings of Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers' R&B fame. Quite a departure, but then again, not really. Isley seems to fit perfectly at home in his very original interpretations of Bacharach's material. The set includes many old Bacharach favorites, as well as a contemporary gem: 'Still the Answer' -a very timely and heartfelt statement of hope and one of Burt's best, which is really saying alot.

The arrangements here strike me as strongly Burt's, with all his signature' sensibilities fully intact, but they seem to follow Isley's very personal vocal interpretations in mood so well, I have to consider this a truly collaborative effort between these two unlikely partners. The result here is a true work of art. Make no mistake, this is a 'swooners' record, and a great soundtrack for making love. It has alot of 'space' between the notes, and is richly imbued with that romantic, sensual ambiance.

I've been listening to this album for a couple of years and just love it. I'm not tired of it. It never fails to put me in a relaxed, and very 'feeling' space. There is not a song here that fails to move me. Take Alfie, as a prime example. Admittedly, I am a huge fan of Bacharach... but these renditions are among the best that have been done with these exquisite songs. And they are so different and unique from the originals that they almost stand alone as different songs altogether.

Another important note here: One shouldn't forget the immense contribution of lyricist Hal David here. He was so gifted in fusing Burts complex melodies into statements that perfectly match the mood of the music. This becomes VERY apparent in Ron Isley's sensitive treatment of the songs. You really notice what is being said, and it's a powerful statement.

Music of this high caliber is few and far between. This one deserves to be searched out. Highly recommended. November 17, 2006

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