Queens of the summer hotel

"Despite its contemplative nature, Queens of the Summer Hotel looks outward -- these were songs designed for the stage, after all. The combination of the airiness of the arrangements and the warmth of Mann's performance is wistfully hopeful, turning Queens of the Summer Hotel into a record that soothes and consoles during moments of uncertainty".

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"Queens Of The Summer Hotel sees her consolidate her position as an adept songwriter capable of addressing difficult subjects with empathy and beauty".

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"Singer's 10th album emerged from her work on songs for a stage musical ... Kaysen's book wasn't structured around a linear plot, and neither is Queens of the Summer Hotel. The result is songs that often feel anthologized, and without interstitial dialog or music it's not always clear how the stories they tell relate to one another as part of the narrative arc that will, presumably, someday underpin a stage show. All the same, Mann has created compelling, complex sketches of characters who are more than the cliches of mental illness that so often appear in popular culture. It will be fascinating to see how she brings it all together".

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"Mann skulle have skrevet sange til en musical baseret på Susanna Kaysens selvbiografi 'McLean Hospital', der i 1999 var forlæg for filmen 'Girl, Interrupted'. Musicalen blev ikke til noget, men det gjorde sangene ... 'Queens of the Summer Hotel'. En slags konceptalbum om psykisk sygdom henlagt til 1968, hvor det musikalske afsæt i perioden ikke er ungdomsoprøret, men Burt Bacharach. På 'Queens of the Summer Hotel' har Mann og Bryan beholdt strygerne forstærket med træblæsere og (...) skiftet guitar ud med piano ... Arrangementerne er stilsikkert altmodisch og denne gang med til at placere Aimee Mann i musikalsk selskab med Stephen Sondheim, Rufus Wainwright og Elvis Costello, når sidstnævnte har været i sit mest Burt B'eske humør".

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