Gently (album)
1996 studio album by Liza Minnelli / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gently is a studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli. Released in 1996, it is her first album under the Angel Records/EMI label.[1]
Gently | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 19, 1996 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | Jazz, vocal, traditional | |||
Length | 42:12 | |||
Label | Angel | |||
Producer | Brooks Arthur | |||
Liza Minnelli chronology | ||||
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Singles from Gently | ||||
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The release came seven years after her last studio album, "Results," from 1989.[2] During that time, she released the live albums "Liza: Live from Radio City Music Hall" in 1992[3] and "Aznavour Minnelli: Paris, Palais des Congrès" in 1995.[4]
Gently is a jazz-infused album that also includes romantic ballads and lounge music numbers with arrangements featuring vibraphone, piano, and muted trumpet.[5] Its title and theme reference moments in Minnelli's love life, starting from her adolescence when she had crushes on handsome schoolboys.[6]
During the album's promotion, she referred to the work as her "make-out album" due to the irredeemably sentimental themes behind the song choices.[6] She summed up the inspiration behind the album on The Rosie O'Donnell Show when she explained, "There wasn't a romance section [in the record store]. So, I thought, well, maybe I'll make an album that people can kiss to. Remember kissing? Wasn't it great to kiss? That's what this album is about."[6]
As part of the album's promotion, the singer appeared on the UK shopping channel QVC.[7] According to Gilbert Hetherwick, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Angel Records, her appearance on the channel was positive: "She sold thousands of her CD 'Gently' on the network. It's a great way to create awareness, especially for people who live in small towns."[7]
In 1997, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[8] The award went to the album "Here's to the Ladies" by singer Tony Bennett.[9]