Rate-O-Rama: The Look of Love

Rate-O-Rama : Songmania is a reader participation game.

Every Sunday I will publish a Rate-O-Rama article which will feature three versions of a popular song.

The object is to listen to each of the music videos provided within the post.

After listening to each video you can rate each song in the comments section below.

(You must be a member to comment. If you are not a member you can join Vocal Media for FREE. You don’t ever have to pay for membership unless you choose to upgrade your membership)

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The rating method is easy. Simply give each song a rating of 1 to 100.

(The more you like the song the higher the rating).

If possible, please provide a brief comment explaining the reasoning behind your ratings for each song.

After a week (Saturday evening) I will tally the ratings and in the next Rate-O-Rama post I will announce the winner from the previous post.

The winners will be determined on a scale of averages.

If you wish to receive a notice when the next Rate-O-Rama post is published please mention that you would like a notification in the comments section.

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The Raffle!!!

I am taking the Rate-O-Rama series to the next level. At the end of each month I will do a raffle in which the winner will win a $5.00 tip.

To enter all you have to do is participate in playing the Rate-O-Rama game. Since R-O-R is updated every Sunday night in order to qualify you must play the game during it's initial seven day period with Sunday evening being the cutoff period.

For each game you play you will receive a ticket for the raffle. Therefore if you play all four games in the month you will have four chances to win.

The winner will not only win the $5 prize but I will feature your Vocal Profile on Vocal + Assist on both Facebook and Discord and you will be featured in the first R-O-R game of the month after your win.

The September 2023 Rate-O-Rama Raffle Winner:

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Last week we featured the disco/synth-pop classic: "Funkytown" as recorded by Lipps Inc. (1980), Pseudo Echo (1986), and The Chipmunks (2008).

The following are the average ratings for each song as resulted from the votes:

🥇 Lipps Inc.: 94

🥈 Pseudo Echo: 88.4

🥉 The Chipmunks: 52

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The Ninth Edition of Rate-O-Rama features three renditions of the Bossa Nova Pop classic written by the incomprable Burt Bacharach: "The Look of Love."

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Dusty Springfield (1967)

Dusty Springfield was the first to record this Burt Bacharach tune with Hal David's lyrics. The song was a semi-hit reaching #22 and #26 respectively in the US and Canada. Since then Dusty's recording has gone on to become the definitive version. Her rendition was featured in the 1967 James Bond film Casino Royale. Later in 1967 she re-recorded the song for her album titled The Look of Love. Both recordings were produced by esteemed producer Phil Ramone.

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Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 (1968)

Mendes and Brasil '66 reached #4 in the US with "The Look of Love" making their version the most successful in the US. The song was produced by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the founders of A&M Records. Janis Hansen performs the lead vocals on the song, which was unusual as during that time period Lani Hall, Alpert's wife, usually handled the lead vocals.

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Diana Krall (2001)

From her 2001 album The Look of Love her lush orchestral arrangement produced by veteran producer Tommy LiPuma was an album highlight. The song was released only as a promo single to radio stations across the US and Europe. It received a fair amount of airplay on jazz format radio stations. But caught on with Adult Contemporary Radio in the US reaching #22 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

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My Thoughts

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Dusty Springfield: Exquisite. Dusty delivers a flawlessly pitched, velvety-smooth performance that deserves nothing but praise. Her vocals alone merit a high score, and when combined with the sublime bossa nova arrangement, her rendition becomes unparalleled. 99 points.

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Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66: Despite its popularity in the US, I believe the lively uptempo rhythm slightly diminishes the song's sublime beauty. The enticing opening bass line, which sounds like it's played on a keyboard, is a treat. Janis Hansen's faultless lead vocals are commendable, and their commitment to the bossa nova beat is evident, though at times overshadowed by the orchestral arrangement. I give it 86 points.

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Diana Krall: Mrs. Elvis Costello delivers a remarkable performance with her enchanting rendition of the song. While it may not be the most widely held opinion, I believe that Krall's deep, yet luxuriously smooth lead vocals outshine Dusty's ever so slightly. Krall take her time to perfectly phrase and enunciate each word. The Bossa Nova rhythm remains a central element of the song. Krall's brief piano solo, appearing about three-quarters of the way through, is pure enchantment, and the song could have been enhanced with more of this. All in all, this is my preferred interpretation of the song, and I rate it a perfect 100.

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I will be back next week with the results of this Rate-O-Rama Edition.

Last Week's Rate-O-Rama:

With Love, RHC ❤️