Lori Lieberman The Girl and The Cat 180g 45rpm 2LP

TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal

Lori Lieberman has been a household name associated with "Killing Me Softly" as the inspiration and collaborator of the song and the original artist. Her beautiful vocals have touched the heart and soul of many of us.

For her 17th album, The Girl and The Cat, Lieberman teams up with the renown Matangi Quartet from the Netherlands. Included in this stellar 13-song album is Don McLean's "Empty Chairs," the song that inspired Lieberman to write the poem for the classic, "Killing Me Softly." The Girl and The Cat is viewed as a kind of classical crossover. There are sweeping sections within the songs to allow the string quartet to soar.

Lieberman plays all the piano parts as well as the acoustic guitar, and for this album, she has not only composed the songs, but has orchestrated the string arrangements along with LA based cellist, Stefanie Fife. The songs maintain their Lieberman stamp of heartfelt emotion. Journalist Leo Blokhuis has said of the CD, "It reminds me of my most cherished Juliet Letters by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet. Stunning."

The Girl and The Cat with The Matangi Quartet, is mixed by legendary Bob Clearmountain (Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Bryan Adams etc.) and mastered by Grammy winner Darcy Proper at Wisseloord Studios.

"It was amazing!!! First and foremost, was the Lori Lieberman concert at Carnegie Hall. Lori, for those of you who are not familiar, is an amazing singer/songwriter, somewhat in the tradition of Laura Nyro. One famous song of hers that I'm sure you are familiar with is 'Killing Me Softly.' Lori has just released a fantastic new album, The Girl and the Cat, on which she performs with the Matangi String Quartet, who also accompanied her at the Carnegie Hall concert. To say she was and is fantastic is simply a dramatic understatement. She delivers a song, and most were her compositions, with feeling, grace, sincerity and beauty, which is unmatched. The audience, which included many members of the New York Audio mafia, were simply blown away by her performance, as was I. So intense was the feeling of some songs that they literally brought tears to my eyes, and I am sure that I was not the only one. Pick up her new album. You will be thrilled as well to discover, one of the great American songstresses of our day." -- Sandy Gross, GoldenEar

"Decades ago, a young singer-songwriter saw Don McLean perform. She was knocked out. Lori Lieberman wrote a poem about that night and the singer and his songs. You have heard what it became: 'Killing Me Softly,' recorded by Roberta Flack. It sold trillions. https://youtu.be/e15EoYeo9ms. Decades and many CDs later, Lori Lieberman has a new album, The Girl and the Cat, with the Matangi Quartet. The strings give her songs, which are reflective and universal on the linked subjects of love and loss, a new, even more 'personal' feeling. Consider the title song, a mother's lament for a daughter who's left home, has had hard times, and is now better. 'Just tell me what you want,' the daughter says. The mother's response: 'I want you back. Let's start again. I want you sitting on the sofa watching Oprah when it sort of was our thing.' Talk about killing me softly! -- Jesse Kornbluth, Head Butler

"Lori Lieberman could enjoy her entire career and rest with the success of 'Killing Me Softly' which became a global hit. However with her eighteenth album she adds a masterpiece to her discography. Upon the initial listen to the album, The Girl and The Cat you experience the captivating beauty of the compositions and their performance. Whoever digs deeper and listens again and delves into the lyrics will look at the beautiful compositions very differently in the next listen. In 'Woman,' Lieberman sings perhaps the most beautiful song of the album that quickly gets into your fibers. It's about the woman she might be herself: fragile and yet strong. Lori's voice, crystal clear, guides you through these stories. Lori knows how to touch you with this truly beautiful album." -- 8 Weekly.Netherland, 5 Stars

"The 192/24 bit recording is direct and honest and 100% digital artifact-free. The perspective puts Lieberman's voice close but not in your face and she's presented pretty much unadorned something only an accomplished vocalist can successfully pull off, which she does. Bob Clearmountain's tasteful mix puts Lieberman right there in front of you, but not too close, sometimes with harmonies subtly overdubbed. The richly recorded strings (produced in The Netherlands) add sweeping drama to her piano, which floats effectively somewhat in the background. The result is a comfortable place in which to spend sonic time. The record is filled with memorable melodies and lyrical drama." - Michael Fremer, Analog Planet, Music 10/11, Sound 10/11

“"You needn't ask: you know the sound will be staggeringly good."