Liza Minnelli, it’s fair to say, has had one hell of a life. Of course, she’s still around, but despite some troubling times and a few health scares in recent years, as Bette Midler says, “The showgirl must go on,” and Liza is certainly is living by that moniker.  Minnelli’s career is one of the most celebrated in American pop culture, her stage shows have been massive successes, and her starring role in Cabaret earned her an Oscar, which was no mean feat considering it was a musical. 

The one constant, though, when her movies weren’t so memorable (Arthur 2: On The Rocks) and her health kept her from hitting the stage, has been her voice, and more importantly all of the things she can do with it.  Her recording career was always something she treasured and loved working on, and so as time goes by and Minnelli heads into her seventies, it seems it will be her last love after all. 

Although most of her albums are live recordings from various shows over the years, some of her best work can be found on her early studio albums like It Amazes Me and There Is A Time.  There’s no point in comparing this new album (released a year ago) to any of her classics because that would be a little unfair, considering Liza recorded this entire album whilst lying in bed recovering from a knee-replacement surgery.  For her it was a form of therapy, and although her voice isn’t anywhere near what it once was, this woman lives and breathes music. I know this because I can hear it in every single note she sings here. 

Lots of artists from Liza’s generation (and several younger ones) have enjoyed great success with singing standards these days. I’m not sure why the whole thing has grown into what it now is, but it seems everyone is doing it. And so for Liza’s therapy it seems she was in the mood for a little night music, and here we have only her eleventh studio album, the very soothing Confessions.  This album is a wonderful collection of some great old songs that have been given new but pretty straightforward arrangements for Liza to croon over, and croon she does. 

Her voice now has a very lived-in, smoky quality to it, which only gives these songs character and one could be forgiven for thinking this was actually recorded in a lounge somewhere at 2 a.m. It’s hard to pick any standout songs because the album is so even and so consistently good, as is Minnelli’s performance, during which she breathes new life into beautiful songs like “You Fascinate Me So” and “He’s A Tramp.”  “Close Your Eyes” is every bit romantic as it should be and Liza’s reading on “I Must Have That Man” is understated genius. 

Three of the finest moments here are the last three songs: “At Moments Like This,” “If I Had You,” and “At Last” all of which sound wonderful as Liza handles each of them with an easy cool that many singers would kill for.  Confessions is a very easy album to listen to and just flows beautifully and as for Liza herself, there’s certainly no denying her conviction. Now that she’s fully recovered, I’d love to think there’s plenty more where this came from.

Rating: A-

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