Recorded live with just a pianist, this could have been a dreadful affair - others have tried similar concepts and failed. Yet this works marvelously. Why? Partially because Marianne Faithfull has lived about five normal lifetimes and this shows up in her (fantastic) voice - it's full of the gravelly world-weariness that these songs need to work their magic. She may sound more hoarse than your granny, but Faithfull hits all the notes, her voice occasionally allowing just a wee little quiver to act as a foil for her fine phrasing. In fact, she's never sounded better.

Yet another reason for the success of this project is that Faithfull really understands this music. Her decision to include a Harry Nilsson song was magical - it's one of few "rock era" tunes to have the same sort of melodicism and brutal cynicism as the Weimar-era songs, expressed in a similar manner without at all coming across as derivative. "20th Century Blues" is another great choice (technically) outside the scope of this CD. Faithfull explains its inclusion as a sort of nod to her "Englishness", but it works just the same.

The Weimar period was a brief 15 years, yet it contributed much to world culture - not just these songwriters but many fine artists and writers, and movements like Dadaism. Many of the great writers, artists and performers of the era were Jewish (and many who were not were so heavily involved in left-leaning ideologies that their lives were similarly imperiled by the rise of Hitler). So when the Nazis crushed Weimar culture, forced people into exile (or concentration camps) and exerted its brutal force over all aspects of life for more than a decade, most traces of this abundantly rich artistic culture were forever extnguished. We all know that history is written by those in power - that a short-lived period of culture in a doomed historical epoch continues to captivate us roughly three-fourths of a century later . . . well, that's a testament to its greatness.

Highly recommended.

Oh, this is good
This is a wonderful cd. I am a big fan of Kurt Weil and I was amazed what a good recording this was. I should perhaps point out this is the first Mariann Faithfull recording I have ever bought and it's really really good. I love he voice in Solomon Song, and in Alabama Song (yeah, it's Kurt Weil) she's actually as..... what, world weary as Lotte Lenya? Don't Forget me is fantastic. It's actually, dare I say it, as enjoyable as Ute Lemper.

The Greatest
This CD was my first introduction to Marianne Faithfull's music, and I must say that after hearing this masterpiece I quickly collected the rest of her works, because she is an artist of true integrity and ambition. On "20th Century Blues," Marianne's voice is so expressive that that it will guide you through triumph and tragedy, through faith and despair. This is not music for those who want something anti-intellectual that they can simply throw onto the decaying scrap heap of popular music within a few months. The music on "20th Century Blues" will last far into the future, because Marianne delves deeply into the past to conjure timeless themes that resonated not only in Brecht and Weill's time, but also resonate in the present and will continue to resonate far into the future. These themes are the ingredients that bind and break us as humans, regardless of time period, ethnicity, or culture.

Marianne Faithfull challenges us with this album, and I highly recommend it to the "baby boomers" who listened to her music in the 60s as well as younger people who have an affinity for alternative music (and may not know her music), because there is something for everyone on this album. The strong thematic choices and literary disposition of the album may frighten some buyers, but don't be afraid. "20th Century Blues" is a rare opportunity to experience an album that just may make your life a little more meaningful after hearing it. That in itself is very rare in the recording industry these days.
Marianne Faithfull's voice in this performance is, if possible, better than ever... Faithfull singing Marlene Dietrich... Faithfull singing Brecht/Weill... Faithfull singing Coward... a great choice of songs sung by one of the most fascinating artists of our time.

Overlooked
Oh Marianne, what sheer genius. A woman best known for rant and elegy has found beauty in the works of Brecht/Weill. Her version of "Don't Forget Me" is better than Nilsson's original because her whiskey-worn voice really explores the longing in the powerful lyrics. While I prefer Marianne's rock 'n' roll side, 20th Century Blues is a testament to the pure talent of rock 'n' roll's ultimate fallen angel.
A live album billed as "An Evening in the Weimar Republic," Faithfull marches confidently through the work of the German composer Kurt Weill. Standards such as "Alabama Song," "Mack the Knife," "Pirate Jenny," and "The Ballad of the Soldier's Wife" sound fine, if a bit shopworn, making her version of a lesser-known Weill tune such as "Complainte de la Seine" stand out.

Actually, some of the album's better moments draw on composers and performers other than Weill. The title track and "Don't Forget Me" are satisfying nods to a pair of non-Teutonic gods, Noel Coward and Harry Nilsson. Two other songs, "Want to Buy Some Illusions" and "Falling in Love Again." approximate Marlene Dietrich's Blue Angel cabaret to convincing effect. Overall, 20th Century Blues is no match for Faithfull's best albums, Broken English and Strange Weather, but Faithfull's fascination with the glamour and decadence of pre-World War II Berlin is more befitting a twilight performer than the barely-legal fantasies of her '60s/'70s peers, Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler. --Keith Moerer