Various Artists - Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter

There's a long tradition of artists banding together for a noble cause, but--needless to say--good intentions are no guarantee of good art. Fortunately, the twain do meet and the project even succeeds with creative flair in this compilation. It kicked off the Red Hot AIDS Benefit series back in 1990 and in fact launched its own sort of minigenre, including theme albums devoted to George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. In fact, this eclectic mix of Cole Porter covers interpreted by a wide swath of contemporary artists unfurls a pretty ambitious agenda in addition to its message of AIDS awareness and compassion. Here, the legacy of this ultra-sophisticated, closeted master of the popular song from the era of the "lost generation" is presented as a source of rejuvenating inspiration. Porter's craft seems validated by the very flexibility of the original songs as they get retrofitted to encompass styles ranging from U2 and Tom Waits to Jungle Brothers. There's an occasional miscalculation (Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop's didactic "updating" of Porter's bon vivant wit doesn't compare well with the original), but moments of stunning fusion abound (Sinéad O'Connor and Annie Lenox contribute especially memorable gems). Instead of getting lost in translation, Red Hot + Blue adds a whole new dimension to the art of swellegance. --Thomas May Amazon.com

Defectt in CD

The CD's I purchase although appearing brand new and packaged as such both skipped, repeating a portion of the track over and over.
I suppose this may happen but I have not experienced this it all my other purchases of music.
As to the content on other tracks; interesting interpretation of the great Cole Porter.
Thomas McIntyre August 26, 2008

Cole Porter standards like you never imagined them

Porter's good old standards; we all know them. But, I never could have imagined them done to such beats, with such rhythms. Brilliant and fun; a great discovery. August 10, 2008

Crazy MP3 Link

It says click here to download, which is what I wanted to do. It turns up some crazy album. Amazon will have to get a LOT better at searching and user interface to win me over from iTunes. January 10, 2008

At last

I purchased this when it was released, (on cassette), listened to it so much over time, not even re-spooling could save it and I actually morned its passing. To find it so many years later on DVD was like Christmas morning. So many talented artist. October 3, 2007

Red Hot & Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter

Awesome CD, used to have the cassette tape. We decided we had waited long enough to here this grouping of music again....so bought the CD. Especially as it was sold as a money raiser for AIDS. Wonderful songs, fab groups singing them. We love it. July 25, 2007

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