It is not neccessary to have seen the film to appreciate what this music is about.It opens with the wonderfully romantic orchestral love theme "Doe Eyes". Composed by Clint Eastwood(yet another great talent of his revealed), and conducted by Lennie Niehaus, the music fills the room with the soothing sounds, and already you are under the spell!

Then ,like love letters put to music,Dinah Washington's feminine and soulful tones and Johnny Hartman's deep but docile voice exchange stories of love and romance through song. Dinah sings "I'll Close My Eyes", she says"through those moments, were apart, I'll close my eyes and see you with my heart".Johnny returns with "Easy Living" and expresses that"people say you rule me with one wave of your hand...Darling it's grand.."These are followed by "Blue Gardenia"(Washington), "I see Your Face Before Me"(Hartman) and "Soft Winds"(Washington), all expressing the fleeting affair and the lasting love.You will also be treated to some wonderful instrumental solos interwoven in the songs.

A light and lively rendition of "Baby, I'm Yours"(Barbara Lewis) gives the sense of the time era, followed by more wonderful love songs,including artists Irene Kral with the Junior Mance Trio. There are twelve tracks in all(see buying info for complete lists), and closes with the mesmerizing "Doe Eyes" once more.

The CD is a great quality and sounds terrific on the stereo.

This album is for anyone who has ever loved or has ever been loved!....Close YOUR eyes and enjoy...Laurie

21 of 21 found the following review helpful:


A beautiful collection of music  Nov 22, 2003 By J. Remington "John Remington"
One of the many reasons the film version of Robert Waller's pallid and common novel surpassed expectations and became one of the few films to improve its original source is due in no small part to director Clint Eastwood's impeccable taste and selection of the soundtrack. Choosing vocal work from the elegant Dinah Washington and the cool, smokey eroticism of Johnny Hartman as well as composing the vivid and drifting "Doe Eyes", Eastwood created a film that breathed autumnal, ephemeral romance.

This is a soundtrack album that stands on its own as excellent listening. Besides the simply gorgeous aforementioned "Doe Eyes" (Eastwood has developed into quite a deft and sensitive composer), higlights include Hartman's brilliant rendering of "For All We Know", "Easy Living" and "It Was Almost Like A Song" along with Washington's "I'll Close My Eyes".

I used selections from this as part of a soundtrack for a stage version William Inge's PICNIC and the drifting, haunting, and luscious sounds contained here produced an effective atmosphere of longing and loneliness.

A beautiful collection of music that made a pretty good film work. A certain must own for lovers of jazz.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


A touching soundtrack for this one-of-a-kind love story.  Apr 11, 1999
The Dinah Washington tracks speak for themselves, as do the John Hartmans. . .but how I wish that, once he's done with films, Clint Eastwood would be recognized for his senstive musical gift. "Doe Eyes" alone makes the listener hopeful and breaks their heart without so much as one word of lyric, or without ever having to know the story of Francesca & Robert. Mr. Eastwood's directorial efforts have been appropriately rewarded. I only wish he had been duly cited for this beautiful composition. Someday. .

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


Johnny Hartman - the gold in the dross  Feb 25, 2007 By R. Sohi
The best thing about Clint Eastwood's 1995 tearjerker, "The Bridges of Madison County," is the soundtrack. Although most of the album (other than Eastwood's syrupy "Doe Eyes" which appears twice on the disk) is listenable, it's the recordings of Johnny Hartman that make this disk indispensable. Hartman, who has to be considered on the short list of the greatest male vocalists of all time, recorded the material heard here for the now out-of-print album, "Once in Every Life," on the Bee Hive label in 1980, three years before his untimely death at age 60. The album, a late masterpiece surpassed only by his 1963 collaboration with John Coltrane, has never been released on CD but Eastwood has done us all a huge service by releasing the entire content of the album spread out over two disks (this one and its sequel "Remembering Madison County"). Hartman's voice, a smoky baritone, is perfectly suited to the mature romantic ballads he performs here with a very complementary sextet. Hartman recorded some of the tracks, notably "I See Your Face Before Me," earlier in the mid 50s also. On the soundtrack he sings the song at a slower tempo, shading it with nuances earned over the many years he had lived with the lyrics. His renditions of the aforementioned song, "It Was Almost Like a Song" and "For All We Know" may well be the definitive versions.

This is an essential purchase for anyone who loves male jazz vocals.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


Highly recommended  Sep 02, 2005 By Levent Soydan "leventsoydan"
This is an extremely relaxing and soothing CD and especially recommended when you get home late at night and play it in a dim light. Carries your soul away. You will know what I mean when you listen to it .

Highly recommended.

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