Gently (album)

Last updated

Gently
Cover Liza Minnelli Gently.jpg
Studio album by
Liza Minnelli
ReleasedMarch 19, 1996
Recorded1996
Genre Jazz, vocal, traditional
Length42:12
Label Angel
Producer Brooks Arthur
Liza Minnelli chronology
Paris — Palais des Congrès: Intégrale du spectacle
(1995)		Gently
(1996)		 Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace
(1999)
Singles from Gently
  1. "Does He Love You?"
    Released: February 1996

Gently is a studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli. Released in 1996, it is her first album under the Angel Records/EMI label. [1]

Contents

The release came seven years after her last studio album, Results , from 1989. [2] During that time, she released the live albums Live from Radio City Music Hall in 1992 [3] and Paris – Palais des Congrès: Intégrale du spectacle in 1995. [4]

Gently is a jazz-infused album that also includes romantic ballads and lounge music numbers with arrangements featuring vibraphone, piano, and muted trumpet. [5] Its title and theme reference moments in Minnelli's love life, starting from her adolescence when she had crushes on handsome schoolboys. [6]

During the album's promotion, she referred to the work as her "make-out album" due to the irredeemably sentimental themes behind the song choices. [6] She summed up the inspiration behind the album on The Rosie O'Donnell Show when she explained, "There wasn't a romance section [in the record store]. So, I thought, well, maybe I'll make an album that people can kiss to. Remember kissing? Wasn't it great to kiss? That's what this album is about." [6]

As part of the album's promotion, the singer appeared on the UK shopping channel QVC. [7] According to Gilbert Hetherwick, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Angel Records, her appearance on the channel was positive: "She sold thousands of her CD 'Gently' on the network. It's a great way to create awareness, especially for people who live in small towns." [7]

In 1997, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. [8] The award went to the album Here's to the Ladies by singer Tony Bennett. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Reviews from music critics were favorable.

Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian gave it three out of five stars. [11]

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that Minnelli managed to blend her musical heritage with the trends of her generation. [1]

Rennie Sparks of the Chicago Reader gave a favorable review, stating that at 50 years old, Liza Minnelli had finally decided to shed the role of a cheerful and optimistic superstar, delivering somber and profound songs, sung with a solitary and sentimental voice, full of fragility and sadness. [5]

Commercial performance

Gently was one of Minnelli's most successful albums on the charts during the 1990s. It reached number 156 on the Billboard magazine's list of best-selling albums, the Billboard 200. [12] In the UK, it reached number 58 on the Official Charts Company's list of best-selling albums. [13]

Gently sold over 100,000 copies worldwide. [7]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chances Are" (feat. Johnny Mathis) Al Stillman, Robert Allen 3:16
2."You Stepped Out of a Dream" Gus Kahn, Nacio Herb Brown 3:39
3."Embraceable You" George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin 4:29
4."Close Your Eyes" Bernice Petkere 3:35
5."Some Cats Know" Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 3:47
6."Lost in You" Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 4:02
7."I Got Lost in His Arms" Irving Berlin 3:12
8."It Had to Be You" Isham Jones, Gus Kahn 3:32
9."Never Let Me Go" Jay Livingston, Ray Evans 3:15
10."Does He Love You?" (feat. Donna Summer)Sandy Knox, Billy Stritch 4:58
11."In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" David Mann, Bob Hilliard 4:18
Total length:42:12

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
UK Albums Chart [14] 58
US Billboard 200 [15] 156

References

  1. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Gently - Liza Minnelli". AllMusic . Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  2. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Liza Minnelli - Results Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic . Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Allmusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Allmusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Sparks, Rennie (August 1, 1996). "Liza Minelli/Gently/(Angel)". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Piatkowski, Peter (March 22, 2023). "Liza Minnelli Hung Up Her Feather Boa & Sequins for 'Gently'". PopMatters . Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Paoletta, Michael (February 12, 2000). "Liza's 'Minnelli on Minnelli' on Angel". Billboard . Vol. 112, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 12, 16. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Babyface, Celine Dion Dominate Grammy Nominations". E!. January 7, 1997. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Winners of the 1997 Grammy Awards". NY Times . February 28, 1997. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  10. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Liza Minnelli Gently". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  11. 1 2 Sullivan, Caroline (July 5, 1996). "Music: This Week's Pop CD Releases". The Guardian .
  12. ↑ "Liza Minnelli - Awards - Allmusic". AllMusic . Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Chart Stats: UK Charts" . Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Charts: Liza Minnelli (Gently)". OCC . Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Liza Minnelli - Gently (Awards)". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
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