Cabaret... And All That Jazz (official title with subtitle: Cabaret... And All That Jazz – The Liza Minnelli Anthology) is a compilation album by American actress and singer Liza Minnelli, released in 2010 under the record label Salvo.[1] It is a double album, released only on CD, spanning Minnelli’s 40-year career with tracks dating from 1973 to 1992.[2]
In total, there are 38 tracks taken from six of the singer’s albums: Liza with a Z (1972), The Singer (1973), Live at the Winter Garden (1974), Tropical Nights (1977), Results (1989), and Live from Radio City Music Hall (1992). With the exception of the track "Cabaret" included in the first album, each disc is divided by the recording format of the songs. The first disc features only studio-recorded songs (taken from The Singer, Tropical Nights, and Results), while the second disc consists of Minnelli’s live recordings (from Liza with a Z, Live at the Winter Garden, and Live from Radio City Music Hall).[2]
The sound of the songs is diverse, as, according to Salvo, throughout her career, "Minnelli remained true to her own style, while enthusiastically responding to changes in popular culture around her," incorporating her versatility and originality into her repertoire.[3]
William Ruhlmann from AllMusic rated it three and a half out of five stars, stating that Disc 1 of the compilation suffers from a lack of musical cohesion, as it is dedicated to songs from The Singer ("filled with soft-rock renditions of early '70s hits by other artists"), Tropical Nights ("a disco album"), and Results ("featuring dance music and synth-pop tracks"). He noted that Disc 2 "flows much better" but has issues with song selection, as it excludes Minnelli’s best-known tracks and is mostly composed of songs from Live at the Winter Garden (1974). Ultimately, the critic called the album "just a good anthology."[2]
Record Collector critic Terry Staunton rated it four out of five stars, writing: "The 38 tracks gathered here do a fine job of clarifying (...) and reminding us that Liza (...) is a megastar with a capital M." Regarding Minnelli’s vocal performance, he stated that "the way she can raise her voice or whisper at precisely the moment the lyric demands marks her out as a singer who understands that every song is potentially a piece of drama. She’s playing countless roles, each one utterly convincing."[4]
Martin Townsend of the Daily Express found the song selection careless and claimed Minnelli "wastes her rare talent on clichéd, inappropriate, and even bad tracks. As a positive aspect, he highlighted "A Beautiful Thing" for its light arrangement and the tracks produced by Pet Shop Boys.[5]
A critic from Music Week called it a perfect guide for those wanting to explore the singer’s musical work. They highlighted the generous number of songs from Minnelli’s iconic film soundtracks, as well as interesting covers of 1970s hits. The review also mentions Minnelli’s brief foray into the singlescharts and praises the inclusion of contemporary tracks, such as the "excellent reinvention" of Sondheim’s "Losing My Mind" by the Pet Shop Boys.[6]
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