Comments on: Bargain Hunter: Get Lorrie Morgan’s brand New Album, A Moment in Time, for $3.99

By: Richard in Santa Fe

Richard in Santa Fe — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:50:23 +0000

I think these comments are a little too harsh. While it is certainly clear that Lorrie no longer possesses the power or upper register of her voice, hers is still one of country music’s true, unique voices. I think we all just really want to hear her let loose and hit the big, big notes. Absent that, if you listen very closely, she sings these songs with an incredible level of passion and authenticity that is missing from other albums that have come out recently. For me, I am just happy that she has come out with an album that she is clearly proud of and an album that sounds really good. The musicians and even Lorrie herself sound classic and timeless. The voice still possesses all of it’s emotion and clarity and her lower register is just as spine tingling as it always was. I prefer to celebrate her return.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:31:57 +0000

Paul,
I absolutely agree with you on Lorrie’s Christmas album. She really did sound superb on it. I think you’re right that she sounds good in the lower register. J.R. and Razor are right that her quality has deteriorated, but I think it’s more the lack of range that’s the problem. I didn’t notice it as much because of the arrangements, which is probably why I don’t like strings and reverb very much, because I know it disguises vocal limitations. I didn’t think it was painful to listen to though, because the song selection was good and she is still effective in her lower range.

By: Razor X

Razor X — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:26:56 +0000

Thanks, Paul. I was planning to ask you who the original artists were for those songs, since I’d never heard either one before.

By: Paul Dennis

Paul Dennis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:21:22 +0000

Actually Countrypolitan is probably the right way for Lorrie to go at this stage of her career, since she has lost some upper range but still sounds very good in her lower register.

Unlike the current musical accompaniments, which simply drown out the vocalists, the best Countrypolitan arrangements were designed to complemented the singer and to disguised vocal limitations. Billy Sherrill was quite effective at using banks of strings to cover notes Tammy Wynette couldn’t quite reach. Tammy’s limited range was obvious in live performance but never evident on her Sherrill-era recordings

Lorrie (or her producers) have picked an interesting selection of songs including some very rarely covered songs such as “Alright, I’ll Sign The Papers” (a minor hit for her father in 1964), “Lovin’ On Back Streets” (a Cashbox #1 in 1973 for Mel Street, one of the very few vocalists who deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as George Jones and Vern Gosdin), Haggard’s “I’m Always On A Mountain When I Fall” and the Faron Young classic “Wine Me Up”

I’d give this album a B+. If she’d stuck entirely with the more traditional stuff, it would be worth an A but on a few of the more modern (or more pop) songs the vocal degradation is more in evidence

By: Paul Dennis

Paul Dennis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:59:44 +0000

If you want to hear what Lorrie WAS capable of, go back and listen to her CHristmas album recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. While she was never in the Barbara Streisand / Connie Smith class as a vocalist, she was quite good

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:08:57 +0000

I guess I notice that her range has decreased, though I’ve never thought she had a Martina McBride range ability.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:15:25 +0000

I don’t notice a difference in the voice either. I’ve been listening to try to hear it. I’d rate this album about the same as Tanya Tucker’s covers album, at about 3-stars. It’s nothing incredible, but it’s okay.

By: Erik

Erik — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:32:38 +0000

I’m with Matt on this one. I just don’t hear what’s so terrible about her voice. I think she gave “Cry” a perfect finish.

By: Razor X

Razor X — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:53:08 +0000

Go back and listen to her 90s recordings. The difference between then and now is quite obvious. It’s a shame because she chose some really good songs. Ten years ago she could have really nailed them. Now she can’t even give “Cry” the big finish it needs.

By: Matt. B

Matt. B — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:13:35 +0000

I just don’t see where her voice is horribly bad. Then again, It took an obvious track like “Gotta Be Somebody” for me to even hear blatant auto-tuning. I guess I just like the album the way it is ‘because’ of the way her voice is.