David de Alba Sings Then & Now
Review by Billy Tweedie from    billytweedie.com

"This is a fantastic recording!   David's voice is at its best." ~ Billy Tweedie

You cannot listen to this CD and not be swept away by David's range and passion for the material he is singing.   This is not just David de Alba, this is David de Alba becoming each character and pouring the soul and emotion from each piece into his performance.   This CD is literally like going to each show from which the selections come.   You can step out of "A CHORUS LINE" and into "MAME" and David's voice is the vehicle that takes you there.   You don't just get a mechanical recitation of songs, David approaches each as an individual work and strives to bring you the song in context.   My personal opinion is that the version of "Maybe This Time" on this CD is the absolute definitive version of that song to be found anywhere.   (Sorry Liza!)

This is a fantastic recording!   David's voice is at its best.   "The Boy Next Door" and "If He Walked Into My Life" are beautiful.   Trust me it is SO worth your money.   David has the strongest, most entrancing voice you'll ever hear.   He really does have the voice of an angel, and this CD proves it.

I first heard this CD while on Easter holiday, and I knew I had to have a copy in my car at all times!   David de Alba's voice is absolutely magnificent.   His rendition of the songs on this CD take me away from the troubles of this world.   There is an old Irish saying "To live above with the saints we love, that would be pure glory, to live below with the saints we know, that is another story."   Listening to this CD takes you all the way to Heaven with the saints and angels praising God!!!   It really is that good!

I'm close to exhausting my superlatives on David de Alba - but words can't really do justice to his marvelous recorded output over this year thanks to his drive and his wonderful producer Paul Ryner.   While virtually every record he made is special in its own way, this particular recording of his "THEN & NOW", Judy, Liza and his own creation "Boy-Chic" may be his very finest recording to date.   I give it pride of place in my collection as the finest popular music recording of all time.   The first time I heard it I was stunned, and I have never ceased to be amazed.   Where can one start?   Every song is a gem.   The arrangements by Bill Bullard are perfect.   David de Alba, who has one of the finest Broadway and cabaret voices of all time, was in exceptionally good voice, and he had learned to connect with the meaning of a song in a deeper way than in his career on stage in the 1970's.   He's in a great mood, and it makes for an entrancing evening in a car ride outside Pittsburgh on an Easter weekend!   "Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart" is sung with confidence, feeling and a merry, jaunty air."   "If He Walked Into My Life" is sung with breathless wonder.

Everyone has their favorite singer - David de Alba is definitely up there with the greatest in my personal pantheon - and this "NOW" section of his disc was more than just a great performance by a favorite performer.   The joy, the artistry, the technical skill, the complexity of arrangements, the variety, - all of these make it an unforgettable performance.   I would love to have been there in the studio in Arizona, but I'm grateful that I have the recording and my imagination to take me there whenever I wish.   For this recording, 5 stars are not enough!

David displays his dazzling vocal abilities once again with "THEN & NOW".   From the wonderful cover songs to the catchy pop tunes to the soaring, lyrical ballads, David never misses a step.   Though quite different from his other albums, it's nice to see David do an album that stretches his versatility rather than beat a tried-and-true proven formula to death.   If you want fun, beautiful, infectious music from the most stunning vocalist of our generation, pick up a copy of "THEN & NOW".   You won't be disappointed!   (While your at it, pick up all of David's other albums!)

David is the kind of singer who can sing anything at all and still captivate your heart.   I absolutely melt when he sings "The Boy Next Door".   His tenderness is beyond description.   This entire CD is a keeper.   In the mood to dance?   Well then you will have a gentle flair and some hopping heart beats to pick from!   When you put this CD in the player it just gets better by the second with each song climbing higher and higher in unbelievable beauty.   I also have all of David's other CDs and love those as well.   I for one like the different styles he is doing.   I also saw David in performance on video and could not believe how beautiful this man is as Boy-Chic!   (his OWN creation!) and how his voice just pierces your soul.   All of our modern categories seem to disappear and you find that you are some new place with some new secret.   David and his producer Paul Ryner are the best kept secrets of the 21st Century and I kind of hope it stays that way so that when they get bigger it does not change what they are doing.

Another Great man in our Art, Culture & Entertainment!
That is the Unique David de Alba!

Contact Alba/Ryner Ltd. to order CD(s) at   david-heri@earthlink.net    David will personally autograph your CD upon request.

Billy Tweedie, Billy's Entertainment World.

What people are saying about David's new CD Entertainer Thomas Lynch aka Anita Mann from New Jersey
"A Loving Tribute to Olga & Tony"
The loving tribute CD is a step ahead for the dance enthusiast of today and tomorrow.   An enjoyable CD.

"Live at Finocchio's 1971-1987"
Volume one and two of the backstage Memoirs & Rare Recordings is a first.   A look back at a talented, gifted performer, and his fond memories of his associates.   I listened as if I was there at Finocchio's taking a front row seat.   I applaud and tell David to accept his accolades.   A beautiful reflection of time.   Bravo!!!

"Then and Now"
A rare look back to the characters David brings to the stage....beautifully orchestrated and delivered.

The four CDs should be boxed together and sold as a set.   One performer's dream has been born.   David, much success to you!   I enjoyed the CDs and will listen to them time and again.
Entertainer Ron Paradis aka Miss Kitty from Maine
I am Ron Paradis and was a female impersonator and entertainer for many years from the mid-60's thru the 90's.  I worked under the name of Miss Kitty and worked in places like Finocchio's, The 82 Club in New York, Merry-Go-Round & Ledo de Paris in Paris, Punch Bowl in Boston, Le Girls in Australia, Caberia in Germany, just to name a few.   I have never had the pleasure of working with David but because of his hard work, we the people can hear the recordings of days gone by behind stage and enjoy the real live performances of David as Judy and Liza and the most important as David [as Boy-Chic].   You can hear the sounds and almost smell the make-up and if you close your eyes see the glitter and feathers of a time gone by.   This is a once in a lifetime chance to do and hear something that will never return.   I have enjoyed all four of the CDs over and over and I am sure you will too.
Thanks David for bringing back so many lost pleasures and memories.
Accountant, Colette McNiff, Los Angeles, California. I just had the pleasure to listen to two of David de Alba's latest CDs, " Then and Now" and "Loving Tribute to Olga & Tony".   I met Mr. de Alba through the Internet and was quite impressed and intrigued by his Website, which, in addition to his vast artistic credits and long trajectory in the female impersonator genre, dedicates several segments to other FIs of the past and the present.   These segments represent a tremendous amount of hard work and unselfishness on his part, but more important, denotes love, respect and dedication to his peers and his career.   I just had to meet this wonderful and intriguing person.   Moreover, I wanted to find out the talent behind it all.   Therefore, I contacted Mr. De Alba and purchased two of the CDs that seemed most appropriate to me.

The "Now and Then" album is quite impressive and surprising.   Mr. de Alba successfully achieves a "perfect" imitation of both the Garland and Minnelli style.   His self-created Boy-Chic allows more freedom to be himself and display his gifted voice to even more advantage.   The voice is natural, strong and posseses a good range.   There are no falsettos or gimmicks, but rather, it is extremely sensual and exciting.   Overall, the selections are diversified in style, which makes the album by far more appealing and entertaining.   One could not ask for a better imitation of Judy or Liza today --- and this is only the voice, for I have not seen him perform "live".

Now, the "Loving Tribute to Olga & Tony" album is something else.   It features selections sang in Spanish, and for those who speak this language, it is an incredible treat.   Mr. Alba's voice caresses the senses, and one can feel the subtle seduction, the contained passion as well as the "joy de vivre" of this accomplished performer.   He is, indeed, a sensual, vibrant "chanteuse" of Latin music today.   Like the previous album, it contains a diversified selection of styles and rhythms that transports the listener to various countries and times.   In my opinion, this is a 10+++ album!

I've heard countless "live" FI performers in my time, and Mr. de Alba rates way up there along with the greatest of them all.   I wish him continued success and trust that in time, he will reach the pinnacle of his profession.

 Entertainer Donny West, aka Lady Patra from Minnesota I have been listening to your CD.   My dear, why its simply fantastic!   David de Alba keeps getting only better.   It is your best work yet!   Now I can hardly wait until the next one you do is available.   The Judy and Liza songs that you perform truly touch my heart in a special way.   I am thrilled to have this wonderful compilation of your work both "Then and Now".
Research Scientist Roswitha Boehme, Bonn, Germany Although not being a collector of FI memorabilia and not being familiar with some usually well-known songs, I find David de Alba's CDs very enjoyable. His gifted, soulful and captivating voice renders impressive performances in these nostalgic productions and great selections of songs. Wishing you success and luck for all your future projects.

"Then and Now"
The "Then" section makes me feel like being among the audience with "NY, NY", "Cabaret", "What Now My Love". The "Now" section features David's impersonation of Judy Garland with a lively "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" and "Come Rain or Come Shine", of Liza Minelli (with a great performance of "Maybe This Time") and his own "Boy-Chic" creation ("Sing - Make Your Own Kind of Music", and at the end a special version of "Noche de Paz" = Silent Night in Spanish).

"A Loving Tribute to Olga & Tony"
Several different styles from countries of America (Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, USA) and Europe (Spain, Italy, France), sung almost exclusively in Spanish (a language that I fortunately can understand). There are many sentimental and melancholic love songs, and the two Cuban ones "Te Adoraré" and "Qué Motivo" are among my favorites. But also "Potpourri Francés", "Tengo una Debilidad" and David's theme song "I'm Gonna Live Until I Die" are haunting.

"Upon Request"
In his most recent CD David shows a versatile repertoire ranging from the joyful ("Day In, Day Out", "Never on Sunday") to the sentimental ("You Made Me Love You", "La Vie en Rose", "Capullito de Alelí"). He also masters the acapella singing without any instrumental accompaniment ("You're Nearer").
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