Georgie Fame, Madeline Bell & Steve Gray - Singer

In 1985 Georgie Fame and Steve Gray wrote a project about a female singer's life story. They chose Madeline Bell to play the part of the singer and wrote for a big band and orchestra of over 60 pieces plus a 30 piece choir - a pretty ambitious work. The work was performed with the Metropole Orchestra in Hilversum, Holland. In 2004 they performed the work again in Tilbug, and the concert was recorded by Dutch Radio. Ten years on, that recording is now being released as a live album.

There's a mix of styles here, from Jazz to big band. The overall feel of the album is quite dated, but don't let that put you off - it's definitely worth a listen. The lyrics and music tell a story of a young girl and her path froma small town to a successful singer. The music definitely works in harmony to the lyrics in telling the story and makes it a compelling listen.
There's a mix of male vocals and female vocals from Georgie Fame and Madeline Bell respectively.

The music here certainly isn't fashionable and does feel dated but that doesnt affect the fact that it is still very good. This is a very good album that is definitely well worth a listen. Clearly it's going to appeal to fans of Georgie Fame and Madeline Bell, but even if they're singers you don't normally listen to, if you fancy trying something a bit different then this is certainly an album worth a listen.



Track listing:

1. Prelude (The game of life)
2. Small town
3. My second home
4. Singer
5. Learning
6. Big town
7. That's how hit records are made (the crap song)
8. The blues and me
9. Where do you go from here?
10. Isn't it strange?
11. Be true to yourself
12. From now on
13. Epilogue (The game of life)