Gladys Knight - Before Me

By now, the list of late-career standards-coverers stretches a mile long--in addition to Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Smokey Robinson, and a host of less-successful others, add Gladys Knight to the tally. Don't just lump her in, though, because Before Me differs from its forebears in ways that won't let you forget it. Here is a flawlessly selected and executed exercise in nostalgia for all the right reasons: Knight, in a voice entirely undiminished, extracts the elegance from each of these legendary numbers and smears it all over the surface, something most listeners would expect only from a master stylist on the order of Tony Bennett. Yet the former Pip leader presides with a light touch. Replacing the powerful pop-soul that launched her legend with the swankiest, most black-tie jazz imaginable, she whispers her way through George and Ira Gershwin's "The Man I Love" and the candy-sweet lament "I'll Be Seeing You." Elsewhere, she smokes up the Lady Day classics "Good Morning Heartache," "The Man I Love," and "God Bless the Child," unintentionally turning the latter into a master course of vocal restraint. If "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" is the disc's wild card--Knight plays it light--the Duke Ellington stunner "Come Sunday," made popular by gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, is its five-star clincher: Knight punches her way through tirelessly, with a true believer's fervor. --Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

American Icon

Gladys Knight is an American icon. I saw her at the recent Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concert featuring these arrangements with backup from her band and the symphony. She was amazing and drew constant applause from a very large enthusiastic audience. The arrangements on this CD are different from what others have done in the past but still a wonderful accomplishment from one of the greatest female vocalists of our time. You go, girl! March 22, 2008

My preference

My preference would have been to hear Gladys with a piano, bass and drums trio. I love Gladys's voice and the big band distracts me when I listen to this CD. January 7, 2008

Gladys is better than ever!

This is one of the very best standards albums out. Gladys Knight has even improved with age. True talent is not a gimmick. Her renditions are clean and true to her style and the original styling of the artists. This is a great listen! November 5, 2007

EMPRESS OF SOUL scores 5 stars

The Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight, shows her versatility in taking on classics of legendary singers, all of whom she met except Billie Holiday. Gladys, without histrinoics and overdoing, performs each track on "Before Me" superbly. She infuses each song with that intrinsic soul that is the most soulful voice in contemporary music; the EMPRESS especially re-invents "God Bless The Child." Along with this CD is a companion "The Making of Before Me" CD. It is a fact-filled treat in and of itself. This CD is highly recommended for the fan of the EMPRESS and the casual listener. You will not be disappointed!!!!!! August 22, 2007

Gladys What Happened?

What a snoozer! So much could have been done on this CD to refresh these standards AND display miss Knight's capabilities, so disappointing. Don't get me wrong, Before Me isn't bad, so much as "been done before". I adore miss Knight's past work, but perhaps her voice is not up to it now. This is definitely for her fans, so I'll just hang on to "memories". May 16, 2007

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