20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Liza Minnelli

Album review

Heralded as one of the great performers of the world, Liza Minnelli sang, acted, and lived her way into the hearts of millions with her heartfelt vocals, personal style, charismatic flair, and with the ups and downs of her personal life. The Best of Liza Minnelli: twentieth century Masters -- The Millennium Collection features Minnelli at the most emotionally potent moments and dramatic peaks of her career as a singer and performer. From her sexy, musky vocals on "The Man I Love" to the sad, give-it-her-all tune "Come Saturday Morning," the collection features Minnelli at her finest, capturing her most powerful moments on stage and in the studio. It was songs like these that helped Minnelli make an indelible mark on the public. So often was she brought to an emotionally vulnerable level in front of her audience that she could not help but reveal the sheer emotional honesty she put into her work. The built-up crescendo on the classic Cabaret tune "Maybe This Time" is enough to send shivers and chills up and down your spine like a speeding train on a hot rail. Minnelli showcases her ability to harness the power of her voice and bring her audience to its knees on the theatrical "The Look of Love," a smoky tune that best showcases the dramatic prowess of her vocals. Minnelli could also address her audience in such a standstill candid manner that it brought out a deep-rooted humanity in her vocals that shone through her work as a performance. Such sincerity is evident on the live recorded track "Come Saturday Morning," on which she breaks into a brief spoken word sentiment about life when she says, "The trouble is that probably all the good things take place in no more than a minute." The album features such unforgettable classics as the sultry smooth tune "Stormy Weather" and the funky blues tune "Come Rain or Come Shine." It's no wonder Minnelli was a starlet in her own right -- she truly was a compelling creature. Her lighthearted humor and vivid playfulness shine through on the live French version of "Liza (With a 'Z')," which also proves her wonderful ability to capture a character in perfect form. Her zealousness and the nearly tangible life force in her voice are mirrored by the incomparable live recording of the final track, "Cabaret." The song is a fitting choice for the last track on the collection because of its similarity to Minnelli herself, who few could follow.

© Kerry L. Smith /TiVo