The Singer is the seventh studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1973.[1] It marked her first release under Columbia Records and was highly anticipated by the public.[1]
The change in Minnelli's discography began on March 1, 1972, when the actress and singer signed her contract with Columbia Records.[2] In September 1972, recording sessions began for what would become The Singer.[2] Originally, fellow label artist Barbra Streisand was set to release an album with the same title, featuring the track by Walter Marks, but the project was shelved, allowing Minnelli to breathe life into an album that would become a significant part of her own musical journey.[2]
In 1972, the singer was at the peak of her career due to her role in the successful film Cabaret which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.[3] During the same period, her television special Liza with a Z not only garnered high ratings but also won four Emmy Awards.[4] The soundtrack was certified gold (similar to the aforementioned film soundtrack) by the Recording Industry Association of America.[5]
Therefore, the challenge with The Singer was to make it a showcase comparable to her previously mentioned projects.[6] The title track, "The Singer," bears resemblance to songs from Cabaret, and there is a sense of Liza's acting prowess in her renditions of tracks like "I'd Love You to Want Me" and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."[6]
The early 1970s were indeed a period when singer-songwriters were on the rise, and the album's tracklist features songs by artists such as James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Mac Davis, and Carly Simon.[6] The selected songs are mostly summer hits from 1972 and 1973.
The album was promoted through full-page advertisements in various magazines (such as Billboard)[7] and radio commercials.[8]
Commercially, The Singer became one of the biggest commercial successes of the singer's career. It reached number 38 on the Billboard 200,[9] and spent 20 weeks on the same chart.[10] The single from the track "The Singer" reached number 42 on the adult contemporary chart in Canada, as published by RPM magazine.[11]
According to Clive Davis, the album sold 20,000 copies in advance in the United Kingdom, as published in Billboard magazine on May 26, 1973.[12]
The reception from music critics was largely favorable. William Ruhlmann of the website AllMusic stated that the tracklist consisted of songs that seemed to have been chosen based on what was popular during the summers of 1972 and 1973.[14] Despite this, he gave it a three out of five-star rating and wrote that it seemed like the singer gave her best in her interpretations of the songs.[14]
The critic from Billboard magazine selected "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?," "I'd Love You to Want Me," "Where Is the Love?," and "Dancing in the Moonlight" as the standout tracks and considered the vocals clear and convincing while capturing the vibrant essence of the singer.[15]