Bossa nova and other Brazilian musics became hipper than ever in the mid-'90s. Dionne Warwick's 1994 release AQUARELA DO BRASIL, a collection of Brazilian jazz and pop tunes, is an early example of this newfound cachet.
Wisely downplaying the overexposed standards--no "The Girl From Ipanema" here, and even the requisite Antonio Carlos Jobim medley focuses on relative obscurities like "Waters of March"--Warwick sings, in both English and Portuguese, with just the right amount of swing and ease. The gorgeous title track is a sublime highlight, as is an intriguing cover of Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington's massively influential "Caravan." The arrangements are a little fussy at times, but overall, this is one of the best Brazilian crossover discs of its era. Allmusic
Tracklist :
1 Jobim Medley 5:52
Chico Buarque / Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Gene Lees / Vinícius de Moraes
2 Virou Areia 4:13
Braulio Tavares / Dionne Warwick
3 Oh Bahia 5:25
Ary Borroso / Ray Gilbert / Dionne Warwick
4 Piano Na Mangueira 2:48
Chico Buarque / Antônio Carlos Jobim
5 Captives of the Heart 4:48
Burt Bacharach / John Bettis
6 Samba Dobrado 4:22
Djavan / Dionne Warwick
7 Heart of Brazil 4:37
Antonio Adolfo / Marietta Waters
8 N'Kosi Sikelel'l - Afrika/So Bashiya Bahlala Ekhaya 3:48
Enoch Scontonga
9 Aquarela Do Brasil 3:59
Ary Barroso / Bob Russell
10 Caravan 3:55
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol
11 Flower of Bahia 4:16
Dori Caymmi / Tracy Mann
12 10,000 Words 4:26
Brenda Russell / Joe Turano
Monday, February 13, 2023
DIONNE WARWICK - Aquarela Do Brasil (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
DIONNE WARWICK - Dionne Warwick Sings The Bacharach & David Songbook (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
British discount reissue label Music Club International's Dionne Warwick Sings the Bacharach & David Songbook is a casually selected and sequenced collection of 22 recordings drawn from the Sceptor Records catalog of the '60s in which, as promised, Dionne Warwick sings songs written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The bulk of Warwick's '60s pop hits came from the songwriting team, and she also recorded many more of their songs. Her five Bacharach/David compositions that were U.K. chart entries -- "Do You Know the Way to San José?," "You'll Never Get to Heaven," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Walk on By," and "Reach Out for Me" -- are included, along with most of her biggest American hits ("Message to Michael," "I Say a Little Prayer," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again"). Beyond that, the compilers are more interested in Warwick's versions of well-known Bacharach/David songs that were hits for others ("What the World Needs Now Is Love," "The Look of Love," "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "Wishin' and Hopin'," "Wives and Lovers") than in the many Top 40 U.S. hits she had that are less well remembered (no "Are You There (With Another Girl)" or "The April Fools"). That doesn't explain the omission of her first hit "Don't Make Me Over" or her Top Ten version of "This Girl's in Love with You," however. Annotator Michael Heatley points out that Warwick scored 33 chart entries with Bacharach/David songs in the U.S. between 1963 and 1971; simple math shows that one-third of them could not be on this album (and in fact, more than that are missing, since songs that did not chart at all for Warwick are also included). What isn't clear is how it was decided which ones would be left off; as is often the case with discount compilations, it looks like somebody just flipped a coin. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1 Do You Know The Way To San Jose 2:56
2 What The World Needs Now Is Love 3:07
3 Alfie 2:43
4 Message To Michael 3:03
5 I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself 2:44
6 I Say A Little Prayer 3:05
7 You'll Never Get To Heaven 3:03
8 Anyone Who Had A Heart 2:58
9 I'll Never Fall In Love Again 2:51
10 Walk On By 2:48
11 Trains And Boats And Planes 2:46
12 Make It Easy On Yourself 2:41
13 A House Is Not A Home 3:05
14 (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me 2:58
15 The Look Of Love 2:45
16 Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 2:57
17 Wishin' And Hopin' 2:57
18 Only Love Can Break A Heart 2:51
19 Promises, Promises 2:56
20 Wives And Lovers 3:01
21 Reach Out For Me 2:49
22 Windows Of The World 3:19
Written-By – Bacharach And David
DIONNE WARWICK - Dionne Sings Dionne (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
As one of the premier pop/R&B singers with a singular voice, Dionne Warwick's list of hits includes "Are You There (With Another Girl)," "Once You Hit the Road," and the often nerve-racking "Heartbreaker." As she racked up the singles, Warwick fans also realize she has also released fulfilling albums through the years, including 1975's Track of the Cat and her 1979 comeback effort, Dionne. Dionne Sings Dionne is also a strong effort. While including new tracks, the bulk of Dionne Sings Dionne consists of reconfigured versions of her '60s work with Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. Although many talented singers have come up empty when reviewing their classics, Warwick seems to be having fun here and deftly reexamines her oeuvre like only a handful of artists could. The '80s Earth, Wind & Fire-styled production values boost "Reach Out for Me." The song also features the Emotions, DeBarge, and the talented El DeBarge, who has some great chemistry with Warwick. "Say a Little Prayer" gets a casually elegant quiet storm reworking, with the rasp of Warwick's voice coming through loud and clear. Along the same lines, the always sweet Bacharach and David gem "All Kinds of People" is just as steady, with Warwick now bringing a sense of wisdom to the lyric where there once was hope. A new track, "Be My Neighbor," features Tyrese. With a lyric expressing that Warwick is desired by Tyrese as a surrogate mother who can offer advice, it comes off apt and sweet. Although at first this does seems haphazard, Dionne Sings Dionne is a fun and skilled effort. Jason Elias
Tracklist :
1. Walk On By 3:47
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
2. Love Begins With You 4:08
Attala Zane Giles / Larry Weiss
3. Reach Out For Me 4:15
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
4. High Upon This Love 4:24
Jack Allocco / Thom Bell / Damon Elliott / David Kurtz / Dionne Warwick
5. I Say A Little Prayer For You 4:26
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
6. Always Something There To Remind Me 4:47
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
7. If I Want To 4:33
Burt Bacharach / Will Jennings
08. Aquarela Do Brazil 3:53
Tino Barrosa / Bob Russell
9. I Promise You 5:10
Fred Busby / Wayne Holmes
10. Be My Neighbor 3:15
Tyrese Gibson
11. All Kinds Of People 3:39
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
12. What The World Needs Now Is Love 4:20
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
13. Do You Know The Way To San Jose 5:36
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
14. Humbly I Pray 4:48
Tim Miner
15. What The World Needs Now Is Love (Underground Mix) 4:26
16. What The World Needs Now Is Love (Club Mix) 4:01
DIONNE WARWICK - Why We Sing (2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless
Although she gained fame singing a cool, anodyne version of pop-soul, Dionne Warwick's roots -- like many soul singers -- were in gospel. (Much of her family, including her mother, performed in the Drinkard Singers and Dionne herself formed the Gospelaires with sister Dee Dee to accompany them.) Why We Sing, her first gospel album in nearly 40 years, obviously benefits from that experience, but also from her many contacts and family members. Produced in part by her talented son Damon Elliott (Destiny's Child, P!nk) and including a song by another son, David Elliott, the album also features involvement from BeBe Winans and the New Hope Baptist Church Choir. As on her last secular album, Warwick's voice may be weaker than in the '60s and '70s, but the productions and guest features are solid. Ironically, even in this gospel medium, where a strong voice is arguably more important than anything else, Warwick succeeds, perhaps by the force of her convictions and the importance of the project in her mind. She certainly didn't tailor the material for crossover or commercial success; her choices include "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," an old Drinkard Singers original named "Rise, Shine and Give God the Glory," Psalm 23 delivered verbatim in song form as "The Lord Is My Shepherd," and a piece of brimstone written by son David named "Seven" that's nearly straight out of the book of Revelations. The productions have very little of the contemporary gospel sound, with none of the R&B or hip-hop rhythms that were interpolated into gospel during the '80s and '90s. Fortunately, they're also not adult contemporary slickness, either; most are recorded with a small group occasionally leavened with strings, and given a light touch by producers Percy Bady and Damon Elliott. Altogether, the results are quite good; it's a highly personal project that permits outsiders to enjoy it, and while it's quite smooth, it's never slick enough to enjoy that adult contemporary or coffeehouse crossover. John Bush
Tracklist :
1 Battle Hymn of the Republic 2:47
Julia Ward Howe / William Steffe
2 I'm Going Up 3:35
featuring – BeBe Winans
3 With All My Heart 5:01
BeBe Winans
4 Old Landmark 4:14
5 The World Needs Jesus 4:54
BeBe Winans
6 I Lift My Heart 5:24
7 Jesus Loves Me 04:03
8 Show Me the Way 4:19
9 Why We Sing 5:21
Kirk Franklin
featuring Dee Dee Warwick
10 Rise, Shine and Give God the Glory 4:36
Traditional
11 The Lord Is My Shepherd 4:38
Traditional
12 Seven 4:23
featuring David Elliott
Friday, February 10, 2023
DIONNE WARWICK - My Friends & Me (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
My Friends & Me, Dionne Warwick's collection of duets that revisit her classic recordings, benefits from her many talented friends in the music industry, but most of all from a family member. Her son Damon Elliott has worked with his mother for close to ten years, when he's not producing for contemporary hitmakers Pink, Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson, Kelis, and Mya. Elliott's production for this record is engaging and charming, right up to the minute digitally on the rhythm end, but with plenty of space within the tracks to echo the airy productions of Warwick's long-time producer, Burt Bacharach. Also, Elliott kept most of these versions piano-based and added a tight backing chorus that is virtually necessary for anyone familiar with the original "Walk on By" or "Anyone Who Had a Heart." Dionne Warwick's voice, however, hasn't aged as well as her contemporaries, and the record often resembles a tribute album whose subject only stops by occasionally. (More often than not, the guests are featured more than Warwick herself.) The only track with radical changes is "The Windows of the World," which is presented with no less than four vocal guests (Angie Stone, Chanté Moore, Deborah Cox, Da Brat) and in a version that allows Da Brat to rap on the state of the world between the lines of the verses. Elsewhere, highlights come with Cyndi Lauper's quiet, pleading version of "Message to Michael," Kelis' "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and Wynonna Judd's surprisingly smoky "Anyone Who Had a Heart." John Bush
Tracklist :
1 Dionne Warwick With Gloria Estefan– Walk On By 2:56
2 Dionne Warwick With Cyndi Lauper– Message To Michael 2:59
3 Dionne Warwick With Mya– Close To You 4:00
4 Dionne Warwick With Gladys Knight– I'll Never Love This Way Again 4:19
Written-By – Richard Kerr, Will Jennings
5 Dionne Warwick With Kelis– Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head 2:26
6 Dionne Warwick– Déjà Vu 4:50
Written-By – Adrienne Anderson, Isaac Hayes
7 Dionne Warwick With Reba McEntire– I Say A Little Prayer 3:08
8 Dionne Warwick With Wynonna Judd– Anyone Who Had A Heart 3:43
9 Dionne Warwick With Lisa Tucker– Then Came You 3:26
Written-By – Phillip T. Pugh, Sherman Marshall
10 Dionne Warwick With Olivia Newton-John– Wishin' And Hopin' 3:03
11 Dionne Warwick With Cheyenne Elliott– Love Will Find A Way 4:56
Co-producer – Teddy "Bear" Harmon
Producer – David Elliott
Written-By – David Elliott, Terry Steele
12 Dionne Warwick With Angie Stone, Chanté Moore, Deborah Cox And Da Brat– The Windows Of The World 3:26
Engineer [Assistant] – Jaysen Joshua
Mixed By – Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado
13 Dionne Warwick With Celia Cruz– Do You Know The Way To San Jose 5:46
Credits :
Bass, Keyboards, Programmed By – Teddy Harmon
Guitar – Grecco Burratto
Keyboards, Drums, Programmed By – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach-Hal David (pistas: 1 to 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13) 
DIONNE WARWICK - Only Trust Your Heart (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Like many other veteran pop singers, at a certain point Dionne Warwick stopped following popular musical trends in search of hits and gave up making "regular" albums in favor of specialty or "event" recordings. It might be argued that 2011's Only Trust Your Heart is her first "regular" album since 1993's Friends Can Be Lovers, even though she hasn't been absent from recording studios in between, coming up with a Brazilian album (Aquarela Do Brazil); an album of re-recordings of her old hits (Dionne Sings Dionne); a Christmas album (My Favorite Time of Year); an album of duet re-recordings of her old hits (My Friends & Me), and a gospel album (Why We Sing). Actually, Only Trust Your Heart is, in a sense, another specialty album in that it is devoted to the work of a single songwriter, Sammy Cahn. It is not, however, billed as such, like 1990's Dionne Warwick Sings Cole Porter. Cahn may be the most underrated lyricist of his time (that time stretching from the 1930s to the ‘60s), in part because lyricists don't tend to get as much attention as composers; in part because he wrote more for Hollywood than for Broadway; in part because he worked with many composers, and in part because of his sheer versatility. That versatility is on display on this collection, which largely eschews Cahn's better-known works. Warwick gives the songs a variety of musical settings, starting with the bossa nova arrangement of the title song and going on to small jazz bands, big string orchestras, solo piano accompaniments, and even a blues reading ("Keep Me in Mind"). She ignores previous interpretations, making each song her own. Cahn may have written "I'm a Fool to Want You" for Frank Sinatra (perhaps with Ava Gardner in mind), but Warwick, with her understated alto, gives it some of her typical sense of empowerment. Bing Crosby may have given "The Second Time Around" a jaunty tone after Cahn wrote it for him, but Warwick calms it down, working only with a piano and strings, reflecting on the theme of aging. If she never really put both feet into any one genre of music, that has turned out to serve her well on a late album like this, on which she demonstrates a mastery of several classic pop styles, just as Cahn was able to switch gears as a lyricist-for-hire throughout his distinguished (if often unheralded) career. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1 Only Trust Your Heart 4:31
Written-By – Brodszky, Cahn
2 You I Love 2:26
Written-By – Brodszky, Cahn
3 I'm A Fool To Want You 4:10
Written-By – Sinatra, Wolf, Herron
4 Wonder Why 2:49
Written-By – Cahn/Styne
5 If You Can Dream 4:02
Written-By – Brodszky, Cahn
6 The Second Time Around 2:30
Written-By – Cahn/Van Heusen
7 Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are 2:30
Written-By – Cahn/Styne
8 I'll Never Stop Loving You 5:08
Written-By – Brodszky, Cahn
9 Some Other Time 2:48
Written-By – Cahn/Styne
10 I Fall In Love Too Easily 3:40
Written-By – Cahn/Styne
11 Keep Me In Mind 3:52
Written-By – Wolf, Cahn
12 And Then You Kissed Me 2:56
Written-By – Cahn/Styne
13 Pocketful Of Miracles 2:42
Written-By – Cahn/Van Huesen
Credits :
Bass – Adam Blackstone, Neil Jason
Drums – Cindy Blackman Santana
Piano – Raymond Angry
Vocals – Dionne Warwick 
DIONNE WARWICK - Now (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Few artists have had a more simpatico relationship with a songwriting team than Dionne Warwick enjoyed with Burt Bacharach and Hal David; Bacharach and David wrote the majority of Warwick's biggest and best-loved hits of the 1960s and ‘70s, and hardly anyone has interpreted their songs with as much grace and intelligence as she brought to her work. Given that Warwick's early run of chart successes established her as one of the finest pop vocalists of her generation, it's not surprising that she would be eager to cut a new album of Bacharach and David material, but Now, released to mark Warwick's 50th anniversary as a recording artist, bends this idea in an unfortunate way. Now is dominated by new performances of B&D compositions Warwick recorded in the past (including some of her biggest hits as well as some relative obscurities), along with four newer songs Bacharach and David each wrote with other collaborators. The album is lushly produced by Phil Ramone, with arrangements that suggest smooth jazz rather than the adult but AM-friendly pop of Warwick's heyday, and the accompaniment, expert as it may be, tends to buff down the emotional edges that made these songs so satisfying, and blunting their melodic ingenuity. The new songs are serviceable, but they don't match the high standard of the classics featured elsewhere on the album; however, Warwick is at her best on the fresher material, where she shows she's still a song stylist of considerable talent and keen instincts. It's the remakes that call her current abilities into question: on "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," "Don't Make Me Over," and "Make It Easy on Yourself," Warwick sings the songs in a lower key that she did in the original versions, and the comparison reveals her upper register has been worn by time and her instrument isn't as supple as it once was. Warwick is still a fine, thoughtful vocalist by any standard, but these new interpretations force the 72-year-old singer to compete with her twenty-something self, and though her wealth of experience certainly shows, the physical limitations of her voice, coupled with the overly slick production, make these new recordings noticeably inferior to the originals. If Dionne Warwick had chosen to record a set of classic standards (or Bacharach & David tunes that had eluded her in the past), Now could have been a real late-career winner; as it is, it simply reveals she still sounds great, but not as great as she once did, and you'll probably be more likely to reach for your copy of The Dionne Warwick Collection: Her All-Time Greatest Hits than to spin this again. Mark Deming
Tracklist :
1 (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me 3:22
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
2 Are You There (With Another Girl) 3:12
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
3 Don't Make Me Over 3:44
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
4 Love Is Still the Answer 4:00
Burt Bacharach / Tonio K.
5 99 Miles from L.A. 3:57
Hal David / Albert Hammond
6 Be Aware 4:17
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
7 Reach Out 3:01
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
8 Is There Anybody Out There? 4:22
Burt Bacharach / John Bettis / James Ingram / Puff Johnson
9 I Just Have to Breathe 3:57
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
10 It Was Almost Like a Song 3:41
Hal David / Archie Jordan
11 Make It Easy on Yourself 4:19
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
12 I Say a Little Prayer 4:23
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Rob Mounsey
Backing Vocals – Catherine Russell (pistas: 1, 3, 7, 8, 11), Fonzi Thornton (pistas: 1, 3, 7, 8, 11), Jill Dell'Abate (pistas: 1, 3, 7, 8, 11), Vaneese Thomas (pistas: 1, 3, 7, 8, 11)
Bass – David Finck
Cello – Ellen Westermann (pistas: 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Jeanne LeBlanc (pistas: 5, 6, 8, 9, 11)
Concertmaster – Elena Barere (pistas: 5, 6, 8)
Drums – Mark McLean (2)
Flugelhorn – Jeff Kievit (pistas: 1, 6), Kadleck* (pistas: 1, 8)
Guitar – Ben Butler
Keyboards – Henry Hey
Piano – Rob Mounsey
Trumpet – Jeff Kievit (pistas: 1), Kadleck (pistas: 1)
Violin – Ann Lehmann (pistas: 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Hae-Young Ham (pistas: 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Sarah Crocker (pistas: 5, 6, 8, 9, 11)
DIONNE WARWICK - Feels So Good (2014) FLAC (tracks), lossless
Dionne Warwick's singing is a unique version of urban pop -- not jazz, although it is jazzy, and not R&B, although it has soul and sway, and not rock or blues, although her voice can ache with a weary intensity. Matched from the early '60s through the early '70s with the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, she produced numerous hits, including "Walk on By," "Alfie," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Do You Know the Way to San José," and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," among others. If she isn't critically regarded as a legendary icon in quite the same league as Aretha Franklin and other contemporaries, it's really more of a style thing, perhaps because Warwick isn't really a fiery gospel shouter. Be that as it may, Warwick has sold over 150 million records through her five-decade career, and placed nearly 60 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 over that time, so she obviously knows what she's doing. This set, her 28th studio album, includes tracks variously produced by Swizz Beatz, Jack Splash, Jesse "Corporal" Wilson, and her son, Damon Elliott, whose new label, Bright Music Records, is home for this project. It's essentially a duets album that takes a look both forward and back; Warwick is paired with a wide array of guests -- Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, Gladys Knight, Jamie Foxx, CeeLo Green, Ziggy Marley, Eric Paslay, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mýa, and Warwick's granddaughter Cheyenne Elliott among them -- on revisited versions of some of her hits. Led by the lead single, a new version of "A House Is Not a Home" that features Ne-Yo (an extended version of the single is also included here), Feels So Good doesn't break new ground so much as it affirms and reaffirms Warwick's quiet stature as a steady and urbane pop singer who has never really bothered to follow the music industry's trends and fashions. She just sings elegantly, and it appears to have gotten her through the decades just fine. Steve Leggett
Tracklist :
1 Close To You 4:00
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
Featuring – Mya
2 A House Is Not a Home
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
Featuring – Ne-Yo
3 Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 2:23
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
Featuring – Ziggy Marley
4 Message To Michael 2:59
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
Featuring – Cyndi Lauper
5 Every Once In a While 3:33
Damon Elliott / Eric Paslay
Featuring – Eric Paslay
6 Déjà Vu 5:07
Adrienne Anderson / Isaac Hayes
Featuring – Jamie Foxx
7 Feels So Good 3:05
Thomas Calloway / Jack Splash
ft. CeeLo Green
8 I Know, I'll Never Love This Way Again 4:19
Will Jennings / Richard Kerr
ft. Gladys Knight
9 This Guy/This Girl's In Love With You 3:34
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
ft. Phil Driscoll
10 You'll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart 2:58
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
ft. Ruben Studdard
11 Let There Be Love 4:43
George Merrill / Shannon Rubicam / Narada Michael Walden
ft. Cheyenne Elliott
12 Hope Is Just Ahead 4:40
Billy Ray Cyrus / John Frederick Lenz / Don Von Tress
ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
13 Windows of the World 4:10
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
ft. David Elliott
14 A House Is Not a Home [Extended Version] 6:40
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
ft. Ne-Yo 
DIONNE WARWICK - She's Back (2019) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless
The title She's Back implies Dionne Warwick has been gone for much longer than the five years that separate the record from its predecessor, 2014's Feels So Good, but it's intended to convey that this 2019 album finds Warwick returning to R&B and soul, the music that originally made her a star in the '60s. The publicity surrounding She's Back claimed that this was her first R&B album since Soulful, an LP released on Scepter way back in 1969, but to a certain extent, this is a matter of splitting hairs. Warwick kept having R&B hits well into the late '80s and she easily glided between soul and easy listening even at the start of her career. What is different about She's Back is how it, like the Chips Moman co-production Soulful, is explicitly targeted at the R&B charts. Of course, R&B has changed significantly in the five decades separating the two LPs, something that producer Damon Elliot -- who doubles as Dionne Warwick's son -- does not ignore. Elliot paints She's Back with all manners of modern flair: the rhythms are electronic, the instruments largely synthesized, and the bass is often cranked. Several vocalists are invited to help broaden Warwick's appeal, too. Her duet partners are relatively old-fashioned (Kenny Lattimore, Brian McKnight), relatively hip (Musiq Soulchild), and certainly surprising (Krayzie Bone, whose verse on "Déjà Vu" is disarming), and they all help nudge She's Back into the 21st century, even if the overall aesthetic remains lodged in the 20th century. Often, She's Back seems like a hybrid between Warwick's silky uptown '60s classics and '80s quiet storm, a blend that has its appeal but is tarnished slightly by the stiffness of the production and Warwick's diminished range. Since the album relies so heavily on ballads and slow jams, it becomes apparent that Warwick's voice isn't as supple as it once was, a transition that is inevitable with age, but the songs and settings of She's Back cast this human deficit in an unfortunately harsh light. [Initial editions of She's Back contained a remastered version of Warwick's 1998 album Dionne Sings Dionne as a bonus disc.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine
She's Back
1-1 Am I Dreaming
Arranged By – James Anthony Carmichael
Arranged By [Orchestra String] – Matt Jones
Arranged By [String] – Donald Burnside
Bass – Jeremiah Hunt
Cello – Andrew Bukowinski, Myrtil Mitanga
Featuring – Musiq Soulchild
Harp – Lauran Hayes
Producer – Damon Elliott, Musiq Soulchild, Teddy Harmon
Viola – Danielle Taylor, Istvan Loga
Violin – Alexandra Switala, Alexandria Hill, Ana Bivol, Angelica D'Costa, Ari Urban*, Katherine Andrick, Olya Prohorova
Written-By – Sam Dees
1-2 Tears Ago
Arranged By [Orchestra String] – Matt Jones
Arranged By [String] – Donald Burnside
Bass – Jeremiah Hunt
Cello – Andrew Bukowinski, Myrtil Mitanga
Harp – Lauran Hayes
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Viola – Danielle Taylor (2), Istvan Loga
Violin – Alexandra Switala, Alexandria Hill, Ana Bivol, Angelica D'Costa, Ari Urban, Katherine Andrick, Olya Prohorova
Written-By – Rahsaan Patterson
1-3 What Color Is Love
Featuring – Kenny Lattimore
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Terrence Callier
1-4 How Do You Keep The Music Playing
Featuring – Kevon Edmonds
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michael Jean Legrand
1-5 Deja Vu
Featuring – Krayzie Bone
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Adrienne Anderson, Isaac Hayes
1-6 Forever In My Heart
Featuring – Brian McKnight
Producer – Brian McKnight, Damon Elliott
Written-By – Brian McKnight
1-7 Dream With No Love
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Anthony Gibson, Gerald Levert
1-8 We're In Love
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Patti Austin
1-9 You Really Started Something
Producer – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Denise Rich, Luther Vandross
1-10 Two Ships
Bass – Brett Simons
Cello – Richard Dodd
Drums, Percussion – Brian Griffin
Featuring, Producer [Vocals] – Fiji
Guitar – Dean Parks
Producer [Vocals] – Damon Elliott
Producer, Piano, Keyboards, Horns, Percussion – Rob Shrock
Viola – Leah Katz, Ricky Miami
Violin – Christian Hebel, Daphne Chen, Marisa Kuney
Violin, Leader – Eric Gorfain
Written-By – Dionne Warwick
1-11 Life Is Waiting
Producer – Brenda Russell
Producer [Vocals] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Brenda Russell
1-12 If I Want To
Bass – Brett Simons
Cello – Richard Dodd
Drums, Percussion – Brian Griffin
Guitar – Kevin Afflack
Producer [Vocal] – Damon Elliott
Producer, Piano, Keyboards – Rob Shrock
Viola – Leah Katz, Ricky Miami
Violin – Christian Hebel, Daphne Chen, Marisa Kuney
Violin, Leader – Eric Gorfain
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
1-13 We Need To Go Back
Arranged By – Reverend Stefanie R. Minatee
Bass – Tony Mahone
Drums – Seidel Harris III
Featuring – Jubilation Choir
Keyboards – Rick Carlos, Scott Cumberbatch
Music Director [Choir] – Jared McClain
Producer – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Ashford And Simpson
1-14 What A Fool Believes
Bass – Brett Simons
Cello – Richard Dodd
Drums, Percussion – Brian Griffin
Guitar [Nylon] – Grecco Buratto
Producer [Vocals] – Damon Elliott
Producer, Piano, Keyboards, Percussion – Rob Shrock
Viola – Leah Katz, Ricky Miami
Violin – Christian Hebel, Daphne Chen, Marisa Kuney
Violin, Leader – Eric Gorfain
Written-By – Kenneth Loggins, Michael McDonald
1-15 What The World Needs Now
Arranged By – Reverend Stefanie R. Minatee
Bass – Tony Mahone
Drums – Seidel Harris III
Featuring – Jubilation Choir
Keyboards – Rick Carlos (2), Scott Cumberbatch
Music Director [Choir] – Jared McClain
Producer – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
Dionne Sings Dionne
2-1 Walk On By
Producer [Uncredited] – Steve Tyrell
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-2 Love Begins With You
Producer [Uncredited] – Attala Zane Giles, Kevin Dorsey
Written-By – Zane Giles, Larry Weiss
2-3 Reach Out For Me
Featuring – El DeBarge, The Emotions
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-4 High Upon This Love
Producer [Uncredited] – Attala Zane Giles
Written-By – Weitz, Bell, Elliott, Kurtz, Allocco
2-5 I Say A Little Prayer
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott, Teddy Harmon
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-6 (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me
Featuring – Jonathan Butler
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-7 If I Want To
Producer [Uncredited] – George Duke
Written-By – Burt Bacharach, Will Jennings
2-8 Aquarela Do Brazil
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Ary Barroso, S.K. Russell
2-9 I Promise You
Producer [Uncredited] – George Duke
Written-By – Fred Busby, Wayne Holmes
2-10 Be My Neighbor
Featuring – Tyrese
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Damon Elliott, Ted Harmon, Tyrese
2-11 All Kinds Of People
Producer [Uncredited] – Rob Shrock
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-12 What The World Needs Now Is Love
Producer [Uncredited] – Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-13 Do You Know The Way To San Jose?
Featuring – Celia Cruz
Producer [Uncredited] – Attala Zane Giles, Damon Elliott
Written-By – Burt Bacharach/Hal David
2-14 Humbly I Pray
Producer [Uncredited] – Tim Miner
Written-By – Tim Miner