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'78
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List Price: $16.98
Special Price: $13.99
Your Savings: $ 2.99 ( 18% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Heinz Records
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0723721335953
Label: Heinz Records
Manufacturer: Heinz Records
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Heinz Records
Release Date: 2008-02-26
Studio: Heinz Records
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Editorial Reviews:
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"Forbes has a fine, velvety voice." -- Stephen Brookes, Washington Post "China Forbes has a clear and precise instrument, the perfect voice to convey cosmopolitan air." -- Nate Chinen, New York Times For ten years, China Forbes has toured the world as lead singer of the celebrated "little orchestra" Pink Martini. Invited to join the band by Harvard classmate Thomas M. Lauderdale, Forbes set aside a blossoming career as a singer-songwriter to front the ensemble full-time. Praised as "an unpretentious pitch-perfect chanteuse" by John Pareles of the New York Times, Forbes has grown into an accomplished performer and built a devoted, diverse fan base around the globe. On her long-awaited solo album, Forbes dusts off her guitar and returns to her roots, displaying strikingly personal songs in a style all her own. Filled with intimate stories of love, loneliness, friendship, and alienation, Forbes recorded the album in her hometown with producer/drummer Gregg Williams (Sheryl Crow, The Wallflowers, Dandy Warhols). The stolen sessions allowed Forbes to work discreetly when not on the road with Pink Martini, resulting in a true expression of relaxed creativity. While '78 is a noted departure from the sounds of Pink Martini, fans will recognize the autobiographical "Hey Eugene," appearing here as it was originally written. Backed by Gregg Williams and Eric Earley (Blitzen Trapper), with cameos by Eric Matthews and Phil Baker (Pink Martini), Forbes plays a variety of instruments--including guitar, piano, bass, harmonium, and Wurlitzer-- making this record clearly and uniquely hers.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: missed opportunity
Comment: I saw Forbes perform this album live in Boston before buying the album, and the differences between the two are staggering. Even though this pop/soft rock genre is a departure from the tried-and-true work of Pink Martini, she was still distinctively China Forbes up on stage ... that voice came through strong and clear and confident. Not so on the album. I kept thinking, this sounds like Sheryl Crow ... Forbes is a much better singer than Sheryl Crow. What's going on here? Then I learned that the drummer/producer used to work with Crow, and it all started making sense. So ... '78 is getting 3 stars instead of two because I actually like a few (3 or 4) of the songs, and I'm prepared to give Forbes the benefit of the doubt, that she listened too much to her producer and held back her powerful voice in an attempt to sound more "rock," or something ... thinner and tinny. China, we know you can do better ... looking forward to your next solo venture.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Voice of Pink Martini Has Her Own Voice
Comment: And what a voice it is. Don't expect this to be a fourth Pink Martini CD, but don't let that stop you. Listen for China, not PM, and you will be pleasantly surprised. She has a hauntingly beautiful voice. I have listened to the CD a dozen times or more now and just got back from her solo concert and am listening to it again. She has exceptional presence, a disarming charm, and refreshinginly unusual style.
Customer Rating:
Summary: China Syndrome ..
Comment: We've followed Pink Martini almost from their inception and see them every time they tour New England, often in multiple states. China Forbes has a beautiful rich voice with an expansive range. Listening to her sing is always a pleasure, a wonder ... until we listened to her on her new "78" album. Like ... Bombs-ville!! Formulaeic. Boring. Flat. Toneless. Unimaginative. Repetitious. Exceptionally dull, to the point that one panics and smites the STOP button on the CD player to kill the droning. Oh God, what was was China thinking? Or - flushed with PM successes, did she stop thinking? On this CD, she certainly stopped singing. No rating is low enough so for my wife and I, China's "78" CD should remain in the dark nether world of "unrated". Unfortunately, Amazon's system forces a minmal rating. The "78" CD is not worth even this! Stay with the Pink Martini professional CDs ...
Customer Rating:
Summary: 78 by China Forbes
Comment: China Forbes is the lead singer for Pink Martini. I love them but this CD was missing the orchestration I've come to expect from their music. Evidently she wrote all these songs, including Hey Eugene from Pink Martini's last CD. But it is the variety in style and arrangement in Pink Martini's approach that spoiled me and kept me from enjoying 78. I still love her but I'd tell anyone to get the three Pink Martini CD's first, before trying 78.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Huge China Fan - wish I hadn't bought it....
Comment: The songs are all the same - bad mixing - her voice does not stand out at all. It all sounds so sad, the same pace, the same mood, the same, same, same... after the 3rd song I was ready to pull the plug (but I couldn't, to see if anything changed - it didn't!). I am a Pink Martini addict and think China has one of the best voices on the planet, but this is almost a monotone, and sounds more like a diary than an album. I don't know that I'll even keep it. Really, China, you're better than this!
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