Back in my younger days, I was known to blast the bands like Van Halen, Ozzy, and of course...KISS. Yet when you opened my 256 tape cassette suitcase (remember those?), there were all the usual suspect until you got to the letter "M". There they were, a swathe of tapes that almost poked you in the eye for having stuck out so sharply in contrast: The Manhattan Transfer. The song that many people "discovered" this amazing vocal jazz quartet was a remake of the classic hit, Boy From New York City.
I had (and still do) an amazing crush on Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne. Both women had vocals that would peel your socks off in one instant, and then melt over you like butter in the next. Some might write them off as pop, but these four (who have been together for almost 40 years!) are so much more. When they perform live, it is an experience. They are so expressive and vibrant, and they make you feel like they came to see you versus the other way around.
Being on stage does not tone down their performance. There is no doubt that they love doing what they do, and they pull you in to the point where you forget that you are at a concert.
And then there is...
They also had one of my all time favorite ballads...
And if you thought that these guys could not ROCK?! Check out Janis in this number. Let me leave you with Ray's Rockhouse done two ways. Check out the actual video that they released, then see it done live. If you need a bunch of vocal processing, maybe you should not be singing. So all you Pop Tarts, let Janis give you a lesson in REAL singing.
But can she pull that amazing sound off during a live performance? Umm...YES! (Any questions as to why I had (have) a crush on Janet? I didn't think so.)
they were awesome! I had a blast!
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