Search - Lost Concerts Series: Uptown Divas on DVD

Good, bad & ugly

man man | american south | 10/21/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"hmmm. there's a lot that's good on here. some unintentional laughs too. looking at some of these outfits, I'd say these are from a late 70's variety show. my guess is some type of show featuring tom jones since he is the only guy featured with some of the "divas". and there are some true divas on here all giving live performances backed by a full orchestra and singers. THE GOOD: gladys knight(doing "love on the rocks". why? it's surreal!), lots of dionne warwick doing her classics ( but video/sound is not as good on these), tina turner (right before her big 80's comeback), stephanie mills (dolng "never knew love" - despite a stiff crowd, does her best), chaka khan, and deniece williams (singing "too much too little" with tom jones - another surreal moment - she looks a little uncomfortable). now let's get to THE UGLY: brooke shields (i didnt know she could sing. still don't), juliet prowse, susan anton, a noticeably thin marie osmond - you get the picture. you get your money's worth with over 20 varied performances in all. and tom jones, behind all the macho caricature, has a fine voice and knows how to move a little bit. the dvd is mercifully chaptered so you can skip around to the good stuff. **so my verdict: if you are of a certain age and remember those 70's variety shows you'll like it. some good performances and a nostalgic hoot too. not all solid gold but overall worth having."