Evidence of a great album: even after weeks of listening, all or parts of different songs keep popping into the part of my brain that makes me hum. Like runners in a relay race, a new song takes over as soon as I force the one before it out of my head. This return to original pop music after albums of Broadway, Big Band, '70's remakes, and Sinatra reminds us that Barry Manilow is capable of pure genius like few others. And it is a sweet reward for those of us who have endured so much Barry-bashing over the years, such as the patronizing "Editorial Review" ... above.

The 16 songs here are sung from the perspective of different tenants in the same apartment building, a bit of a concept that allows a range of musical styles to play under the same...roof. (Ouch. Sorry.) Yet the overall sound is consistent, as Barry plays most of the instruments himself. Also, some musical and lyrical phrases repeat in various songs.

The punchy opening track describes the Mayflower as a "battered and brown" warehouse of hopes and dreams. The two most beat-savvy numbers come from Ken and Diane, who are dissatisfied with their lives in "Come Monday" but deal by tearing up the dance floor in "They Dance." The former features a slight hip-hop groove and some "Believe"-era Cher vocal effects; the latter is straight-ahead disco. Personally, I love when Barry does this stuff; it separates him from most of the Adult Contemporary artists he's most often compared to.

Three songs revolve around an unnamed, moody lady living in Apartment 2H. On the rebound from some lying dog ("Say Goodbye"), she blasts her radio (with the unbelievably catchy "Turn The Radio Up") even as she ignores her next-door neighbor's efforts to meet her ("I Hear Her Playing Music"). This last song is peppered with saxophone by Dave Koz and is a good candidate for play at 'smooth-jazz' radio stations. (These are stations which, if you don't know, sand out all that harsh, "rough" jazz that listeners might find icky). "Turn The Radio Up," which I've seen accurately described as a kind of "Daybreak 2002," is getting some radio airplay and climbing slowly up the AC chart. It's a joyous bubblegum anthem featuring the return of Ron Dante, on background vocals, to the Manilow fold. Dante was the lead singer on the Archies' "Sugar Sugar" (1969) and co-produced Barry's albums in the '70's.

You might not expect to find ballads on a Barry Manilow disc. Of course you would, and there are plenty of fine ones here. So far, my favorite is "Border Train." This is as beautifully sung as any Barry song I can recall. The spare instrumentation and restrained vocal recall the best moments from "2:00 A.M. Paradise Cafe." Also excellent, and with more of the trademark buildup to the Big Finish, is "Some Bar By the Harbour," which by the way seems to have nothing to do with living in an apartment. The guy is a sailor...I know, picky, picky.

In a class by itself is the first of two songs about Esther and Joe, "the oldest couple at the Mayflower." In "Not What You See," 83-year-old Joe reminisces to a neighbor about the couple's younger days. In a nice touch, BM sings this one hoarsely to make himself sound older. (I assume this is deliberate. Otherwise the tour is going to be rough.) I wonder whether "Sonny" is impressed or rolling his eyes from boredom during this song. The only other song like this I've heard in a long time is Paul Simon's "Darling Lorraine" from "You're The One." Both are heartbreaking. P.S.: have tissues handy for followup Track 14 ("I Miss You"). I have to skip it half the time.

One blank slot "on the board by the door" would be Freddie, doomed building snitch and subject of the 2-minute swing number "Freddie Said." Elsewhere, I feel Barry is holding back a bit in "The Night That Tito Played." Possibly fearing Santana/"Smooth" comparisons, he settles for a mild Latin lilt when he could have gone for a spicier, uptempo Salsa.

Left off the CD were two tracks that would have reflected in the Mayflower the diversity more large apartment buildings enjoy. These are a collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys about tenants Blake and Roger, who have a penchant for interior track lighting and Sunday brunches with their friends, and a song about a war between the building's pimp and its drug dealer featuring guest rapper Ja Rule. (While this paragraph is a total lie, there apparently are two more tracks out there on a superexpensive Japanese version of this CD that I now must consider buying.)

Manilow switched to the independent Concord label for this record. This may have given him the freedom to make this great album the way he wanted to, but also may have hindered sales. Releasing this at the same time as new records from Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Madonna, and Garth Brooks didn't help either. Hopefully the astonishing sales of "Ultimate Manilow" on ex-label Arista will spark renewed interest in this CD. Once again and as usual, I am thrilled with the latest Barry Manilow record.

Ok, I'm ready to dive in and start reviewing this one- -

Here at the Mayflower is one of the most refreshing CD's to be released in a
long time-by any artist. With the Manilow-maniac view, this CD has Barry
stamped all over it.
I'll do the general review first and if you wish to read the tracks, there
are below.

General Review-Manilow is the Man who writes the music. His diversity is
extremely evident. The album notes that Barry arranged and played each
track-and it shows. This album is a Manilow fan must-have. His passion and
musical genuis are apparent on every track of this labor of love album.
Barry's heart and souls just drips off the CD song by song. If I Should Love
Again is my favorite all time album and HATM is in the top 3 behind Even
Now.
Barry sounds refreshed and like he is having a great time doing this album.
This wasn't evident on the purple album(Sorry, that one sounded forced and
lifeless-like Summer of 78).
This IS the album we've waited for and so much more-Barry delivered on this
one and I look forward to more releases under the Concord label. I hope
this CD makes Arista look incompetent in marketing a talent like Barry and
what a smaller label can do with a talent like Barry's. Kudos!
I will be eyeballing Kmart for my limited edition when they get it in!

You WILL enjoy this CD whether you like it or not. My 11 year old loves the
groovin' tracks and it making her friends listen to it--Hmm..wonder where
that could go....

ENJOY the Mayflower..It's waiting for you!

After listening to each track a few times, here's my rundown

1. Do You Know Who's Living Next Door?-I can't imagine a better opening song
than this once. It's got finesse and starts the groove that you experience
more of on this CD. Let's you know you are fixing to enjoy a Manilow
production, not just another bunch of songs

2. Come Monday-This is a movin' piece of work. It has a great groove and
Barry does his story-in-a-song mix well. I love the Austin blues feel to
this song. Barry is top of his game in this track.

3. Border Train-Sounds like "The Bells of Christmas" off of his Christmas
album. It's nice, but gets redundant.

4. Turn Up the Music-Ahh---a blast of refreshing '70's Barry feel good
music-First single off HATM? Shouldn't have been first but definitely a
single needing to be released. His voice is stronger now, so this piece
works much better than it would have in the 70's

5. I Hear Her Playing Music-Wahoo!! This is quite an original piece that I
could picture everything he was singing-moreso than usual It has a nice
sound to it. I like the opening-I won't spoil it, but it's good!

6. Talk to me--Nice intro-segueways into another style of music in the
introduction. Nice chord progressions-feel there's too many notes he trying
to sing per measure, but a sweet piece of music.

7. Not What You See-A broadway sounding piece..Describes an old couple-sweet
lyrics, sounds like Barry is trying to vibrato too much to get his emotion
across-usually works, but a little much on this piece. Probably my least
fav. track on the CD.

8. Freddie Said--what a groovin piece--this jazzy piece is Barry's signature
style only he can do. Good story in a song, will have your toes tappin
before it's done...

9. Some Bar in the Bar-Wow! Wow!-this track moves into different styles of
music in the same piece-This is going into my classics collection-I feel the
emotion and the tempest flowing so well-Barry really put this one together
nicely!

10. Say Goodbye--Nice soothing piece, very touching..Barry shows that you
can do old style stuff and make it sound new-reminds of "Starting Again"
from the Even Now album

11. She Shoulda Been Mine-Nice instrumental opening and background-no drums
on this one-Also reminds me of "Starting Again"-my hangup on this song or
what?

12. The Night that Tito Played-Barry had fun with this Spanish track and it

shows-A step out of norm and he does it well. I love the spanish
sound-reminds me of "Aye Carumba!" from the Copa TV soundtrack

13. I'm Coming Back--Certifiably my favorite on this CD-Lyrically speaking,
this is classic Barry with a fresh updated sound. The backtrack is awesome
and verifiably Top 40-He's making a statement and making it well known

14. I Miss You-A sweet sentimental song-Need your hanky for this one

15. They Dance-Hot! Hot! Hot! Barry ties in Track # 1 & 2 to make the story
for this one. It's got a disco feel and you will want to get up and
dance--Hot!

16. Welcome Home-Only Barry can express what coming home feels like in a
musical sense. The electric piano and chords--oh, I could feel him just
collapsing into his Lazy-Boy after tiredly walking in the front door. I can
definitely relate to this track.

Glenn

As a diehard fan, I will buy and -to some extent- enjoy anything Barry Manilow records. But I'll try to make my review as unbiased as possible so that the non-fan can decide for him/herself whether or not to buy Here at the Mayflower.

1- The facts:

-Here At the Mayflower is a collection of 16 songs (it runs for approximately 60 minutes) based on the lives of some of the people living in the Mayflower Building. Barry has been working on this album since 1996 and it has been "almost ready" for release at least since 1998.
-Aside from 1984's Paradise Café, this is the only Manilow album in which he has written or co-written ALL songs. And the first album of original songs (not remakes or tributes) since 1989.
-It's virtually impossible to pigeonhole this album into any given music genre. It's not pop, it's not jazz, it's not swing, it's not dance. It's a mix of all these styles, which will probably prompt some listeners to say "Oh, there's something for everyone" and others to say that it lacks consistency and doesn't really hang together well enough as an album. One way or another, Barry can't be accused on sticking the old 70s/80s ballad formula.
-This is Barry's first release for Concord Records after 25 years with Arista. Interestingly, Arista's reluctance to release such a non-commercial album is said to have been one of the reasons Barry decided to try his luck elsewhere.

2- Song by Song commentary

-Do you know who's living next door: Cool intro, great sax, great ending. My rating: 5 out of 5.
-Come Monday: One of my favorite cuts. Great rhythm, interesting vocal arrangements. Lyrics by Manilow himself. My rating: 5 out of 5.
-Border Train: Slow, piano-driven. Grew on me after 5 or 6 listens. Sounds a lot like it would've fit Paradise Cafe. 3 out of 5.
-Turn The Radio Up: The first single. Not a very good choice, imho.Hardly representative of the general sort of "mood" of the album. Sounds a lot like "Daybreak". 2 out of 5.
-I Hear Her Playing Music: Dave Koz's sax is great, but I find the lyrics a bit corny. 3 out of 5.
-Talk to Me: This is about a couple that just won't communicate. Lyrics by Marty Panzer (Even Now, This one's for you)Great melody, wonderful arrangement. It would've been a smash hit in the early 80s/90s, but I don't know if AC radio would ever play it these days. 5 out of 5.
-Not what you See: A Broadway-style song about an elderly couple. Sounds really heartfelt and most of the fans loved it. I'd give it 3 out of 5.
-Freddie Said: This one is aboug the building's gossip. Swing for the 2000's! Wonderful, makes you want to get up and dance. Way too short, though (less than 3 minutes) 5 out of 5.
-Some bar by the harbor: This is probably the fans' favorite (at least in the News Group I subscribe to). Admittedly, it does create a mood and the melody is very strong indeed. But it just didn't move me as much as Talk to Me did. 4 out of 5.
-Say Goodbye. This is one of the songs that grew on me, but throughout Barry sounds as if he's pushing his voice too hard. 3 out of 5.
-She should've been fine. Fine ballad. 4 out of 5.
-The Night that Tito Played. Latin inspired song. Good melody and lyrics, but I didn't like the arrangement. 3 out of 5.
-I'm Coming Back. Some of the fans said it sounds too backstreet boys for their taste. Though it is radio-friendly (arrangements and so on), I find this a very very weak song. 1 out of 5.
-I miss you. This song is about the elderly couple from "not what you see". Truly heartbreaking. 5 out of 5.
-They Dance! Now, this should've been the first single. If not a big crossover hit, "They Dance" is destined to be at least a big dance hit. Lyrics by Manilow. 5 out of 5.
-Welcome Home. Sweet Ballad, very earnest. 4 out of 5.

3. Bottom line

Aside from 1984's Paradise Café (his UNDISPUTED best album), this is probably one of Manilow's finest efforts. I'm glad he has found a record label that has given him carte blanche to do whatever he wants. Here At the Mayflower is our first surprise of many to come.

The biggest challenge any music critic faces, I believe, is to review a CD based on its own merit instead of the critic's personal feelings about the artist.

The biggest challenge a fan faces is to do the exact same thing.

But as a fan who has sincerely NOT liked everything Manilow has produced in the past, I believe I can state, at least with a little objectivity, that "Here at the Mayflower" is his best work ever. This CD shatters Manilow's reputation as a crooner of lost love songs. The Mayflower, a New York apartment building, contains an array of individuals who struggle with their own personal demons. While the CD's first single, "Turn The Radio Up" is an uptempo, feel-good tune reminiscent of 1970s bubblegum, much of the CD deals with the darker side of life, tackling issues like loneliness, despair and even death.

The musical styles in this collection are as varied as the stories inside the Mayflower. While the sweet strains of Dave Koz's sax are woven throughout, giving the CD a jazz-flavored cohesiveness, the songs themselves refuse to copy one another. You will find traces of Manilow's pop style in songs like "Say Goodbye" and "Welcome Home". On the other hand, tunes like "Border Train" and "Freddie Said" will take you back to two of Barry's jazz/swing albums, "Paradise Cafe" and "Swing Street." But other titles on the CD, like "I Hear Her Playing Music" and "Some Bar By The Harbor", each flirt with multiple styles you really won't find on another Manilow album.

If you're looking for the same Barry Manilow who gave you "Copacabana", you won't find him on "Here at the Mayflower." But if you're brave enough to dig a bit deeper and find the talented songwriter, artist and musician, this is the one Barry Manilow CD you need to own.

These days, the music world is flooded with "cookie cutter" artists that have taken over the FM airwaves. They tend to look alike and sound alike, but every so often, along comes an artist that doesn't quite fit the mold; an artist that can succesfully write and perform in different genres. Barry Manilow is such an artit and "Here At The Mayflower" is an album that is sure to delight music enthusiasts everywhere. Right from the smooth, opening jazz-inspired notes of "Do You Know Who's Living Next Door" you know you're in for a treat.

This album spans several genres: Pop, jazz, latin, dance, Broadway, and the adult contemporary sounds Manilow is best known for. The album's concept is one that has been seen before in movies (Woody Allen's "New York Stories") and the stage ("Rent"): take an apartment building and in 16 songs, tell stories that give the listener a glimpse of the lives its residents.

The subjects and emotions portrayed on this album are as real and diverse as the residents of The Mayflower: there's the positive themes ("Come Monday", "Turn The Radio Up" -- the album's first single which compares to the "vintage" Manilow favorite, "Daybreak"), to those yearing to and finding love ("I Hear Her Playing Music", "She Shoulda Been Mine", "The Night That Tito Played"), to losing love ("Talk To Me") and even death("I Miss You"). There's the secret life of two Mayflower residents portrayed in the infectious dance number, "They Dance"

But with this new concept album, come familiar Manilow themes. Fans and critics alike can see that jazz inspired songs like "Border Train" and "Come Monday" sound like they could be on his 1984 critically acclaimed "Paradise Cafe" and 1987's "Swing Street", respectively. Other songs such as "Freddie Said", "Not What You See" and "Some Bar By The Harbor" sound like they're written for the stage and can be on his 1993 "Showstoppers" album. Manilow's spares no ounce of his talent in producing this album.

If you want an escape from today's overplayed music, pick up a copy of this album and visit "The Mayflower" often.