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"Sweet Bye and Blye includes some of the composer's most complex theater writing, the type of work that led Alec Wilder to describe [Vernon] Duke as 'a true innovator in the world of the sophisticated love song.' Chief among them are 'Born Too Late' and 'Roundabout,' both expertly sung by Philip Chaffin as Solomon Bundy. Chaffin delivers Duke's treacherous vocal melodies with aplomb. He captures just the right tone of innocence and loneliness in 'Born Too Late,' as Solomon explains how out of place he feels among late twenty-first-century technology and society, while 'Roundabout' take on new meaning in its original context. Duke reintroduced the song in 1952, with altered lyrics, in the show Two's Company, where it became the plaint of a lovelorn woman. Originally, however, the song gave Solomon the opportunity to vent his bitter disappointment at how his transformation into an industrial tycoon has still left him unhappy and unfulfilled. Chaffin rises to the occasion admirably, delivering a poignant and agonized reading of the Act One finale, the score's musical highpoint." - from the American Music Review Praise for "When the Wind Blows South" "A joy, elegant and effervescent ... the musical equivalent of a Thanksgiving feast! Philip Chaffin's newest solo album is his most satisfying, after two prior releases that were quite strong and rewarding. Not just a sturdy and robust musical theatre singer (that side, quite prominent before, remains a facet), his previous firmly established way with ballad crooning has risen to a new level, with more colors and textures to the voice." - Talkin' Broadway "Chaffin hails from Baton Rouge, and WHEN THE WIND BLOWS SOUTH has a definite Southern flavor. This is fine with me, y'all, especially since it gives Chaffin the opportunity to sing Johnny Mercer's 'Pardon My Southern Accent' and the little-know beauty by Arlen and Harburg that lends the album its title. Most everything has that Southern flavor, matched with impeccable handling and Chaffin's fine vocals. As if all that's not enough, Chaffin gives us a stunning rendition of Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's 'I Never Has Seen Snow.'" -- Playbill.com "Sparkling ... gorgeous and richly diverse ... a wonderful mix of classics and contemporary music. Chaffin's gentle vocals seem to caress Jerry Herman's lush melody for 'Loving You'; [he] is equally adept at navigating the intricacies of Ricky Ian Gordon's 'Is It Too Late?' Chaffin's terrifically playful with Burton Lane and Yip Harburg's 'Old Devil Moon' and captures just the right of comedy and melancholy in 'I Never Has Seen Snow.' I believe that this disc will find its way into listeners' CD players, iPods and hearts for some time to come." - American Theater Web "The top slot for a vocalist's solo album this year belongs to Philip Chaffin. Of course, he's held a similar place in earlier lists as a result of the lovely Warm Spring Night and the rapturous Where Do I Go From You? This time out he mixes a Broadway sensitivity with his down-south heritage on songs from such southern-tinted writers as Johnny Mercer and some who probably never had a southern bone in their body such as George Gershwin. As with the earlier outings, this is a superbly produced song set that can contribute to a gathering as background music or reward solo listening under earphones with an evening drink - perhaps a mint julep." - Potomac Stages "A pleasure. Touching on a theme close to his own upbringing, combining it with his earnest love of theater and film, and the songwriters whose works make the Great American Songbook so wonderful, Philip Chaffin has come into our lives again with a collection of performances that feels like an original cast album but is, instead, a personal statement about home. Go home with Phil." - Edge Magazine "Chaffin scores another knockout. Terrific new arrangements and a honeyed tenor voice that could melt butter. Since Chaffin himself isn't available to stuff in your stocking this year, this CD is the next best thing." - Next Magazine "I first listened to this recording looking out the window of a bus as twilight turned to night. It perfectly captured the mood of this CD that combines songs about journeys, both in terms of physical transitions as well as trips of the heart. As typical of Chaffin each track is beautifully orchestrated and sung. And there is a fascinating selection of material, familiar and obscure, contemporary and classic." - Miyazaki Cabaret Update "Chaffin's easy and relaxed vocal style is well showcased in his latest CD ...the arrangements are perfect for his rich voice. Favorites include his sultry and sexy "Old Devil Moon" from Finian's Rainbow, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," and the title tune. Grade: A" -- Broadway's Biggest Hits
"Warm Spring Night has Philip Chaffin crooning 14 Broadway songs from the famous ('My Romance') to the obscure ('There's a Room in My House'). Chaffin's lush tenor voice makes all of them sound enchanting." - Newark Star-Ledger "In addition to an attractive, warm, and direct manner of singing, Chaffin has excellent taste in material. He handles everything here in impassioned yet elegant fashion, and the program is a pleasure. It's an outstanding recital." - Broadway.com [read the full review here] "Superb... a class act... [Chaffin] sings with care and intelligence, one of those you can call not just a singer but an artist." - Talkin' Broadway "Chaffin's voice is warm, comfortable, inviting and always respectful and supportive of the material. You need but listen to the first 8 bars of "Sailing at Midnight" before you think, now here's a song. The stunning "Haunted Heart," the lilting "Heaven in My Arms," the ever-tender "My Romance" are joined by less obvious choices like "There's a Room in My House" (from Kander's A Family Affair), "Silly People" (from Sondheim's A Little Night Music) and "You've Come Home" (from Coleman and Leigh's Wildcat). To hear these songs is to love them." ? Playbill.com "Tenor Philip Chaffin's Warm Spring Night is a rich and romantic follow-up to his Where Do I Go From You? Most of the songs are accompanied by a lush orchestra, but Jeff Harris's piano is the only accompaniment in the highlight of the album, the standard "That's All," which with "My Romance" and "Out of My Dreams" proves that great standards can coexist happily with unfamiliar fare in a classy setting such as this." - Amazon.com "This collection should appeal to all who have affection for good songs well sung. It is exciting to hear a quality singer take the time to seek out and perform wonderful material that seems to go into hiding." - Jersey Jazz "When it comes to vocal albums, [they] don't get much more beautiful than Philip Chaffin's Warm Spring Night. Lavishly produced with a lush 37-piece orchestra, Chaffin's sumptuous lyric tenor sounds gorgeous on this collection of diverse songs that's eclectic as it is beautiful." - Next Magazine "A wonderful collection of Broadway show music. Chaffin's mellow and lush voice is rich and wonderful... [He] is a dynamic musical theatre singer, and Warm Spring Night is a lovely listen. Grade: A" - Broadway's Biggest Hits
"Filled with classic songs that are beautifully sung .... Chaffin has a flexible and soaring instrument whose honey-colored timbre is ideally suited for this genre of music. He is as comfortable swinging the beat ("I Hear Music"/"Some Like It Hot") as he is singing a ballad ("The Way You Look Tonight") and has a clean, unpretentious sound that is both refreshing and sexy. It's easy to close your eyes and imagine him standing on a bandstand in front of an old-fashioned microphone while the lights from a mirror ball swirl around the dance floor." - Show Business "A wonderful album ..... Chaffin's full and rich voice is easy and relaxed. He is backed by a full orchestra that provides wonderful orchestrations of these classic tunes... This album is a treasure. Grade: A." -Broadway?s Biggest Hits "May I whole-heartedly suggest Philip Chaffin's big-band CD, Where Do I Go From You? Possessing a rich tenor voice that simply melts into the songs and becomes another instrument in the 40-plus piece orchestra led by Eric Stern, Philip is so perfectly suited for the material that it makes you long for a return to the '30s and '40s ... a treasure trove of familiar and unfamiliar material." -Talkin? Broadway "Chaffin's mellifluous-toned tenor fits this music like a formfitting suede glove. And he does so seemingly without any effort at all, like honey running off the tongue. This album has everything going for it: attractive, familiar music; well-constructed charts; and a topflight orchestra to play them all in support of a singer with a highly engaging voice who clearly loves what he is doing." -All Music Guide |
