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The songs have been mostly chosen to demonstrate her wide range of talents, and that range is indeed incredible. She's quite funny in the title number and in the novelty Jule Styne song "If You Hadn't, But You Did," and gets to show off her operatic and jazz skills on "The Girl in 14C." She also does a very unusual and likeable take on the marvelously difficult Jerome Kern song "Nobody Else But Me" (with its tricky rapid key changes) that one wouldn't get to hear in a normal staged version on SHOW BOAT. There are a few weaker numbers, such as the Gershwin duet with Jason Alexander (it's really just stunt casting), but on the whole this is a splendid showcase for a superior performer. A last note: the highlight of the whole album for me was Kristin's dreamy wordless rendition of Duke Ellington's "On a Turquoise Cloud," which is like an Art-Deco vision of heaven--I would love to hear Kristin sing a whole "mood" album of songs in a similar vein!


I love this CD so much I have two copies   November 29, 2001
 22 out of 23 found this review helpful

I adore Kristin Chenoweth. I didn't quite know who she was until her short-lived NBC sitcom. It is because of that show that I purchased this CD. I listen to it a portion of it at least once a day.

Kristin has such an amazing voice and she really shines on this album. When I first listened to the CD, I enjoyed the faster songs more than the slow ones. Then I liked the slow ones more. Now I just love it all.

"Let Yourself Go" is a fabulous song to wake yourself up and get moving. It has the pep and spirit that shines so well in Kristin's personality.

"If You Hadn't But You Did", at times my favorite song, starts out slow but gains speed quickly. In this song, you can hear Kristin's ability to get into a character using only her voice.

"How Long Has This Been Going On" and "My Funny Valentine" really show off Kristin's voice and her ability to hit those high notes and hold them.

"Hangin' Around With You", a duet with Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, is a pleasant surprise. It's fun to listen to Kristin and Jason argue, they both have fabulous comedic timing.

"The Girl In 14G" is amazing. Here, Kristin showcases the range of her voice and shows off her opera training.

In "I'll Tell the Man in the Street", "I'm A Stranger Here Myself", and "Nobody Else But Me", Kristin captures her characters so well.

"Nobody's Heart Belongs To Me/ Why Can't I?" at first seemed like a slow boring song to me, but I found myself loving it. This song just packs so much emotion and can sometimes bring a tear to my eye. I could listen to it all day long.

"Should I Be Sweet?" is hilarious. Kristin switches her mood back and forth so easily.

"Just An Ordinary Guy", "Goin' To the Dance With You", "On A Turquiose Cloud", and "You'll Never Know" continue the flow of the album, bouncing from sweet and slow to peppy to a song merely showcasing Kristin's abilities to a beautiful love song.

"Daddy" is a great song to end the CD with. It is so much fun to listen and sing along with. Kristin sings it so well, and I always find myself listening to it twice.

Overall, this CD is fabulous. In the booklet in the CD, Kristin tells John Lahr of the New Yorker, "The one thing I don't want to do is sing a song because it's pretty. I want to tell a story. I want people to be transformed in the song." With her first solo CD, Kristin achieves this goal and so much more.

I can not reccomend it enthusiastically enough. Buy this CD! :)


the 4'11" woman with the 8' voice , a real sweetie   February 14, 2002
 21 out of 21 found this review helpful

I saw and heard Kristin at Poe Middle School in Annandale, in February 02. Kristin is a real sweetie, 4'11" in her stocking feet with a 4 octave range singing voice! Perky, she says so herself. I marvel that her large opera quality voice can come from such a bantam sized woman.

Sony told her to to choose a focus for her album and that's Broadway show/ musical tunes from the 20's, 30's & 40's with a very authentic, even retro, feel. Her personality, a romantic optimist, an innocent in the best sense of the word, shines through her music here as it did through her short-lived TV show. She is a fountain of effervesence. Beneath that perky, romantic, innocent image is a very driven hard worker, beneath the driven hard worker, is, I suspect, a perky, innocent, romantic.

Her voice opens and accelerates effortlessly from a small, slightly nasal New York twang, to a sweet chantuese, to an Wagnerian opera quality Valkyrie belter whose voice can blow walls down. When she opens up, she often sounds uncannily like Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music".

I like this whole album - "The girl in 14G" shows her range, but my fav is probably the deeply touching "You'll Never Know".

My only slight criticism is the orchestration or the Sony mix - the balance on these songs is sometimes wrong, the orchestra occationally overwhelms and Kristin's voice is recorded too compressed. I know she's much singing much louder than this! I would love to hear her singing with a small combo, uncompressed, as she is on "You'll Never Know" on her next album.

Much more will be heard from her in the future

five stars for the performance, 4 for the recording.


Simultaneously wonderful...and bland   June 2, 2001
 9 out of 12 found this review helpful

This was a frustrating CD for me, because I really wanted it to be wonderful. I am a huge fan of Chenoweth's theatre work, and as a musician, I appreciate her flawless vocal technique; the versatility of her voice is amazing. Chenoweth is at her best when she is not taking herself all that seriously ("The Girl in 14G" - a tour de force! - "If", "Hanging Around With You"). These tracks are vintage Chenoweth - masterfully sung, with lots of laughs and character. Some of the less character-driven songs are somewhat bland - she sings them incredibly well, but they simply don't show off all that she can do. My one musical complaint: the odd and extremely noticeable key change at the end of "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" which, presumably, allowed her to sing the last note in a less mixed, chestier sound. Kristin - we love your mix, and you shouldn't have changed the key!!!

Final analysis: great singer, some great material, but be forewarned that some of it is a bit bland.


Excellent CD!   June 25, 2004
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Kristin Chenoweth, as Idina Menzel said in her speech at the 2004 Tonys, is the "grace and light upon that stage every night." And her debut CD "Let yourself go" certainly shows how talented and charismatic Kristin is. This CD utilizes Kristin's amazing versatility and range. She can go from singing ballads such as "My funny Valentine" to upbeat numbers ("Let yourself Go") to "The Girl in 14-G" that has her singing opera and jazz in one number. If you are a fan of show tunes or just good music, you should buy this CD! Kristin is a rare gem in musical theatre today but her talent doesn't stop there. She is also a classically trained opera singer and has proven herself able to sing jazz, country, and gospel as well. On top of that, she is a kind woman who doesn't take anything for granted.