Rita Coolidge or Jennifer Warnes?

I've always adored Rita.

Neither. Jennifer Coolidge.

Ditto, R2.

We need a sing-a-long.

Rita had a better voice, but both had the charisma of a tranquilized cat.

R5, maybe that's why I loved them both.

This is the second-most important election this month.

Jennifer Warnes. Her voice reminds me a lot of Linda Ronstadt meets Joan Baez.

Warnes could really sing. I love this clip. (it's live right? not lip synced?)

I love Jennifer Warnes -- Famous Blue Raincoat is one of my favorite albums. For some reason, she hasn't recorded anything in years.

Warnes beautiful voice, wonderful diction, delicate but powerful sound.

With the sound system breaking down, Warnes sings over Cohen's shoulder..back in the day.

Neither. Maria Muldaur

Im heartened to see Warnes' name on here. I thought she was mostly forgotten. Her records were wonderful, and, although I'm not a fan of Leonard Cohen, her cd of his songs -- Famous Blue Raincoat -- is for the ages. She would have had a bigger career than she did, but she opted out of touring to support her own music in favor of touring as Cohen's backup singer. That killed her momentum, although she had a few big movie soundtrack hits after that, but they didn't feel like "her" songs; she sounded like a voice for hire. A little trivia: she sang on the Smothers Brothers show as "Jennifer." Speaking of the Smothers Brothers, they were probably the first celebrities I had a crush on. They were both adorable.

Warnes sang 3 Oscar winning Best Songs.

That must be a record, no?

Jennie and Joe. Note the way she looks at him. I'm glad she had a few commercial hits to pay the bills, Cocker too.

As a vocalist Rita Coolidge is not in the same league as Jennifer Warnes. Gorgeous vocal control, golden clear tones with such ring and resonance does not come along that often. This is deceptively beautiful singing.

Warnes also sang the theme to Ragtime which was nominated but didn't win

Hard Times Come Again No More. Everyone with a social conscience has sung this Stephen Foster song. Warnes leads complex choral harmonies, acapella.

Rita, she isn't a great singer, but had some catchy hits. "You" is a cover of an Australian disco singer's hit. I'm actually totally unfamiliar Jennifer Warnes .

[quote]As a vocalist Rita Coolidge is not in the same league as Jennifer Warnes.

Exactly. Coolidge has some fun songs, so she probably has more fans, but Warnes is the more respected singer. Coolidge is just regarded as a pleasant singer.

I don't know if Coolidge ever wrote songs, but Warnes did. This is a beautiful one she wrote about the love of her life dying in his 20s.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I do have a story about Jennifer Warnes.

Years ago the guy who writes Betty Bowers told a bunch of us at dinner that he had gotten of angry emails from Jennifer Warnes telling Betty over and over again "You CAN NOT use me!!!!!!"

He didn't know what the fuck she was going on about. Until he remembered that when he set up the site he had put in an auto respond to emails.

Warnes had apparently sent an email and got an autoresponder telling her that by sending Betty email she had consented to having her name and likeness used on billboards throughout America in Betty's "Send me Money to Help This Unsaved Trash!" campaign. Jennifer took it VERY seriously.

R22's song is from the last album Warnes recorded -- in 2001! Anyone know why she stopped making music?

"I Know a Heartache When I See One" by Jennifer is one of my favorite songs of all time.

Um, did Warnes ever appear with Donny Osmond?

You gotta love the 70s.

That's hilarious, R23!

I'm on team Jenn, for her gorgeous version of "Coming Back to You" alone.

Warnes in a boring bitch.

I like Jennifer Warnes' songs better, but Rita Coolidge is definitely prettier. Has anyone either seen either of them live?

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Rita Coolidge if just for "We're All Alone."

Jennifer Warnes singing the theme from Norma Rae, It Goes Like It Goes, is genius. Haunting, sad, exquisitively beautiful.

The first time I saw Jennifer Warnes, she was Jennifer Warren appearing on The Smothers Brothers.

I love Rita's "All Time High" song.

I loved Rita Coolidge playing herself in the 1976 version of A Star is Born.

Rita Coolidge--essence of dull--drove so many sexy men MAD with desire....didn't Kris Kristofferson nearly get in a duel over her? I could never, ever see the appeal....she was somnolent. When she covered a Jackie Wilson song, it was to die for--that is, to die from LAUGHTER.

Rita Coolidge - I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love

Beautiful song

Rita Coolidge - We're All Alone

Another beauty...

Rita Coolidge

Jennifer Warnes

JENNIFER WARNES Right Time of the Night

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Warnes. "Famous Blue Raincoat" is one of my deserted island discs, and all of her work with the late, great Lenny C. is classic.

Her new album, "Another Time, Another Place," was released about six months ago. It's awfully darned good, too.

Oh, so YOU'RE the one, R34!

When "Right Time of the Night" first came out, I thought wow, great Linda Ronstadt song!

It's interesting watching R16's clip. Jennifer looks very sweetly at Joe Cocker several times, but he ignores her.

I read that he was dick to her when then the recorded Up Where We Belong.

He never would have been involved if Jennifer, who was already on board because of another song she had sung for a previous film, hadn't suggested getting him to do it as a duet with her.

He told the studio to ditch her and let him do it as a solo.

He initially refused to even record with her.

The studio HATED the song. And tried to replace it, but ran out of time.

When it was released as a single, it bombed. But once people heard it in the movie, they bought it and it was a huge hit.

Here is that hierophant, monk, sinner, ladies man, poet - the great L. Cohen. Back in the day. With Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson prominently on background vocals. Sharon Robinson was still singing with L.C. on his final tour. Jenny kept coming back and leaving again...

Cohen had great taste in musicians, co writers, women and backup singers. Occasionally they were one and the same. He always made sure they had a chance to shine. And they seemed to always take something from him for their own sound. Sharon Robinson toured with him for 33 years and developed this beautiful voice and meditative charm when Cohen was forced back out there, broke and frail at 74 years old. For the next four years they toured the world.

R31 We're All Alone - that's exactly why Rita got my vote. Every time I hear it, it breaks my heart. I was dating a gorgeous Elder at the time and the lyrics and her voice just tore me up.

Rita always produced a narcotic effect. I mean, ESSENCE of boring. I never understood how all these hot men in Hollywood--Kris Kristofferson, etc.--were literally fighting over her. Evidently she had....something.

R50 A magic pussy.

I'd never heard this song before, but it is great:

^ That song won the Academy Award. It's one of Warnes only well known songs.

I had the time of my life....also well known.

Were she and Cohen lovers?

Warnes by.a hair. She would have easily won by a landslide, but I loathed the duets for which she is best known. Her solo stuff is great.

I did love me some All Time High. Which one of my friends in HS would crack us all up when she sang it, lifting her leg in the air and singing out "All time THIGHHHHHH!" (You had to be there, I guess.)

Rita's 'We're All Alone' was perfection. I was SO in love at the time with an older guy and we would snuggle and fuck to that song. I can't hear it now without crying.

Dusty sings It Goes Like It Goes

I vote for Maria Muldaur -- Midnight at the Oasis was so hot and sexy.

God, I hated that "I've Had The Time of My Life" song. Hated the damn thing. And it got played like maybe a million times.

I didn't much like ""Up Where We Belong", either. Joe Cocker could barely sing by that time, and it was a sappy song.

^^Donna Summer was offered both of those songs and turned them down. So stupid!

Jennifer for the Leonard Cohen connection alone.

John Cale also produced one of her albums in the early 70s, and she sang backup for Arthur Russell on a couple songs (always wondered how that came about). She's had some odd connections over the years for someone whose hits were so MOR.

Stories like r23's are why I come to the DataLounge.

LOL R23

Loved Jennifer Warnes and remembered when The Right Time of the Night came out. Couldn't tell the difference between her and Ronstadt at the time.

[quote]Rita Coolidge if just for "We're All Alone."

Boz Scaggs did it better.

Warnes is a lovely, sensitive interpreter. Linda Ronstadt can't related.

[quote]Boz Scaggs did it better.

Posting link properly:

I love Boz Scaggs but always hated his “My Loooove” at the 3:00 mark (MARY!). Rita’s version for the win!

Loved Jennifer’s duet with Jackson Browne on “Golden Slumbers”.

Ronstadt had a great technical voice, but she didn't always use her softer, more subtle voice. Too often, she sang in a way that she must have felt was similar to a Garland or Streisandesque belt.

Reminds me of what Robert Christgau said about Mad Love, Linda's new wave album: "This is how Ethel Merman would do Elvis Costello, only Ethel Merman has a better sense of humor." (I sorta like that album anyway, though. Certainly more than her Nelson Riddle albums.)

Elvis Costello fucking hated Ronstadt's covers of his songs at the time.

I think he still hates them now but in the most diplomatic way possible sort of half apologized for being a cunt about that. Then again he's a cunt about everything. I mean, I think he's a genius but he's a cunt.