Stormy Weather (AT&T album)

Stormy Weather is a live compilation album by various artists released by The Isis Fund in 1998. The record was produced by Don Henley as part of the Walden Woods Project, with which Henley is associated. It features ten covers of songs, all by different female musicians, and was funded by AT&T and the Thoreau Institute. The CD was issued solely to longtime customers of AT&T and included complimentary and downloadable internet access software. Stormy Weather received three out of a five stars from AllMusic and was received favorably by Frank Tortorici of Sonic.net.

Stormy Weather
A white paper insert displaying the album's title and artists in similar fonts.
Live album by
various artists
ReleasedMay 31, 1998
RecordedApril 16, 1998
VenueWiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length43:48
LabelThe Isis Fund
ProducerDon Henley

Background

Stormy Weather was released on May 31, 1998, exclusively available to longtime customers of the American multinational telecommunications corporation AT&T.[1] It is paired alongside downloadable computer software for AT&T's internet access service, WorldNet's Personal Network.[2] All of the performances were recorded live by AT&T and the Thoreau Institute at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 16, 1998.[3] The concert was held to expand the mission of the Walden Woods Project, a nonprofit organization created to help the preservation of Walden Woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.[4][5]

Rock musician Don Henley organized the event and carried out production on all ten tracks, while Vince Mendoza was in charge of the musical arrangements and conducting the orchestra.[6][7] At the venue, each artist sang two songs,[4] although only one song from each artist appears on the record.[6] According to The Walden Wood Project's official website, the album contains "pop, jazz, and blues standards" predominantly from the 1930s, 40's, and 50's,[4] performed by ten female musicians.[8] It opens with a version of Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue", performed by Gwen Stefani.[6] Sandra Bernhard sang a rendition of "Is That All There Is?" in an "exaggerated high pitch vocal" with "comic anecdotes".[6] Joni Mitchell performed the album's title track, a cover of Ethel Waters' 1933 single "Stormy Weather".[9] The orchestration was performed by the 66-piece El Nino Orchestra.[10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]

Due to not being commercially released, Stormy Weather was not widely reviewed by music critics. William Ruhlmann from AllMusic awarded the record three out of a five stars, praising the artists' familiarity with the songs. He highlighted Mark Isham's trumpet solos and the covers of "You've Changed", "But Beautiful" and "At Last" as standouts, but had mixed feelings regarding Sheryl Crow and Björk's contributions.[7] Frank Tortorici of Sonic.net enjoyed the performances and commented in reference to the concert that Joni Mitchell and Bjork's collaboration was "hard to beat."[6]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Don Henley.[11]

Stormy Weather – Standard edition[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Almost Blue"Elvis CostelloGwen Stefani3:02
2."You've Changed"
Paula Cole5:27
3."But Beautiful"
Shawn Colvin4:30
4."Good Guy"Jude JohnstoneTrisha Yearwood4:18
5."Is That All There Is?"
Sandra Bernhard4:29
6."Good Morning Heartache"
Sheryl Crow5:18
7."They Can't Take That Away from Me"
Natalie Cole3:17
8."At Last"
Stevie Nicks4:07
9."Gloomy Sunday"
Björk5:33
10."Stormy Weather"
Joni Mitchell3:45
Total length:43:48

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

References
  1. Flick, Larry (April 24, 1998). "Newsline..." Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 17. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 77. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  2. "AT& T Presents Stormy Weather". Amazon. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  3. "A Chronology of Appearances". Joni Mitchell. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  4. Weingarten, Marc (16 April 1998). "Classics, L.A.-Style". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  5. "The Walden Woods Project". Walden Woods Project. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  6. Tortorici, Frank (April 17, 1998). "Bjork, Joni Mitchell Reign Over Walden Woods Benefit". Sonic.net. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  7. Ruhlmann, William. "Stormy Weather [AT&T] - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  8. "FAQs". The Walden Wood Project. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  9. Bego, Mark (May 26, 2005). Joni Mitchell. Taylor Trade Publications. p. 347. ISBN 1589792211. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  10. Newman, Melinda (21 March 1998). "Billboard Mar 21, 1998: "The Beat" (page 16)". Google Books. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  11. Stormy Weather (CD liner notes). Various artists. AT&T. 1998. M1S24.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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