New Feelin' is Liza Minnelli's sixth album, released in the United States on October 19, 1970. It was her third and last studio album with A&M Records;[1] Minnelli's fourth and final release on the label is her live album Live at the Olympia in Paris, released two years later in 1972. New Feelin' sees Minnelli following a new formula of mixing old songs with contemporary production.
Following the underperformance of her previous album, titled Come Saturday MorningA&M Records sought an alternative way to make Minnelli a successful recording artist, considering her success in theater, film (she received Oscar nominations), and live shows.[2]
As rock music was on the rise, it was noted that her traditional music style was out of sync with the contemporary music scene.[2] In this context, the idea emerged to record songs from the Great American Songbook that she liked but with modern arrangements in styles like country-soul.[2]
The recordings took place in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, during the spring and summer of 1970. Mickey Buckins and Sonny Limbo were the recording engineers, and the art direction was handled by Tom Wilkes. The album was produced, arranged, and photographed (the cover and back cover) by Rex Kramer (lead vocalist of The Bojangles). The arrangements included twangy guitars, pulsating electric bass, organ, an energetic brass section, and female backing vocals with a gospel touch.[2] The tracklist includes a selection of covers dating from 1917 to 1940.[2]
The album was released on October 19, 1970.[3] For promotional purposes, Minnelli appeared on various television shows such as "This Is Tom Jones" and "The Ed Sullivan Show,"[4] and "The Johnny Cash Show." Additionally, she performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
A fourth album to follow the relative success of New Feelin' was planned to be recorded in early 1971 but was scrapped as the singer was getting ready to give the performance that would put her on the map forever, the role of Sally Bowles in the movie adaptation of the musical Cabaret.
Similar to previous albums from the A&M Records label, this album was never released on its own in CD format, but all the tracks in the original order are included in the compilation The Complete A&M Recordings, released in 2008.[5]
In the October 31, 1970 issue, a Billboard music critic wrote: "[in New Feelin'] she combines her charm and powerful voice with a sensitive feeling and achieves success."[7] He highlighted tracks like "Lazy Bones," "The Man I Love," and "Come Rain or Come Shine."[7]
William Ruhlmann of the AllMusic website rated it three out of five stars and wrote that the album was the most contemporary Minnelli had ever recorded. He noted that she adopted a higher and more intense vocal approach than usual.[2] However, he stated that "her effort to connect with the material, the emotional depth that this style required, was not her characteristic way of performing," and overall, the result of the album was an unsuccessful attempt by the artist and the record label.[2]
Commercial performance
Commercially, it became one of Minnelli's better-performing albums in the 1970s. It debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number 169 on November 28, 1970.[8] On December 5, 1970, it reached its peak position at number 158.[9] In the following week, it continued to chart, making its final appearance at number 189.[10]
