A Retrospective is the first compilation album by the American group Pink Martini, released in September 2011 in the United Kingdom and the following month in the United States, Australia and Canada.[1] The album contains twenty-one tracks from six studio albums. Guest artists include Michael Feinstein ("How Long Will It Last?"), French singer and songwriter Georges Moustaki ("Ma Solitude") and director Gus Van Sant ("Moon River"); the compilation also features remixes by New York City disc jockeyJohnny Dynell ("Una Notte a Napoli") and Hiroshi Wada ("Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu").
Critical reception of the compilation album was positive overall; many reviewers appreciated the album in its entirety but criticized select tracks. A Retrospective reached a peak position of number seven on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.
"Moon River", originally by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, and "The Man with the Big Sombrero" were previously unreleased.[10] "Moon River" featured guest vocals by director Gus Van Sant, marking his singing debut.[1][11][12] French singer-songwriter Georges Moustaki provided vocals on "Ma Solitude", and pianist and singer Michael Feinstein contributed to Max Lief and Joseph Meyer's "How Long Will It Last?"[1] The compilation also features two remixed recordings: "Una Notte a Napoli" by New York City disc jockeyJohnny Dynell, and an instrumental version of "Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu" by Hiroshi Wada.[1][13] "Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu" originally appeared on Hang On Little Tomato.[4]
Included with the album is a 48-page booklet of previously unseen Polaroid pictures taken by Thomas Lauderdale, along with postcards and posters from Pink Martini's history. A deluxe hardbound CD book version was also available for purchase.[11][12] The group promoted the release of A Retrospective and 1969 by touring throughout the United States,[14] including a holiday special in Portland, Oregon featuring Saori Yuki as part of their Holiday Tour.[15]
Overall, critical reception of the album was positive, though some reviewers criticized select tracks. Michael Upchurch of The Seattle Times wrote that the "A" before "Retrospective" in the album's title was appropriate and that the compilation included highlights of the group's career.[13]The New Zealand Herald's Lydia Jenkin thought the collection represented a standard Pink Martini concert set list by including a variety of sounds, languages and vocalists, each delivered with "class, passion and subtlety". Jenkin awarded the album 3.5 of 5 stars, complimenting the album overall but noting that some tracks featured less "elegant sophistication" or "imaginative" arrangements.[16] Marion Pragt wrote a positive review for The Cambridge Student, believing the compilation incorporated various styles of music and reflected the group's "cosmopolitan nature". Pragt concluded by asserting that the album was "perfect for avid admirers and newcomers alike".[17]
Rave magazine's Chad Parkhill rated the album three of four stars. Parkhill described "Auld Lang Syne" as "weirdly off-kilter" and found Dynell's remix to be "profoundly derivative", but also called some of the previously unreleased material "wonderful". Tom D'Antoni of Oregon Music News called Van Sant's performance "truly awful in execution", but considered the album to be "simply sensational" overall.[12] The Sydney Star Observer's Nick Bond complimented the album's artwork and packaging.[18]
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