This Is My Town: Songs Of New York Barry Manilow

• 1This Is My Town02:59
• 2New York City Rhythm / On Broadway (Medley)03:59
• 3Coney Island03:03
• 4Lonely Town05:01
• 5Lovin' At Birdland03:29
• 6Downtown / Uptown (Medley)03:21
• 7On The Roof03:22
• 8I Dig New York02:51
• 9The Brooklyn Bridge02:42
• 10NYC Medley06:57
• Total Runtime37:44

Info for This Is My Town: Songs Of New York

Barry Manilow had some of the biggest hits of the 70's and early 80's, many of which he actually didn't write even though he is a Songwriters Hall of Fame member. That's one of the things that made Manilow unique in the music of the last five decades. He was as adept at singing his own songs as he was at interpreting the music of others.

Since 2006, Barry has released nine albums with only one, 2011's 15 Minutes, being a strictly Manilow composed set. The rest highlighted the best songs of each decade, love songs, duets and holiday music.

On April 21, Barry will mix originals with covers on the album This is My Town: Songs of New York. In fact, he has split the album evenly between new songs and standards, all of which evoke the spirit and energy of his home town, New York City.

Manilow said "I'm grateful for having been raised there because I've always felt grounded. One of the things I'm most proud of is that having gone through the hurricane of success, I feel I'm still the same guy that took the subway every day to work in Manhattan. And I attribute that grounding to being raised in New York."

The singer recorded dozens of demos of songs about the city while writing his original material. "I didn't want to do a full original album. It felt like it would be cheating the public to not give them the old songs that they knew. I must have done 50 demos of standards as I was writing the original songs. That's what took the longest: to choose the standards. And, of course, to write the originals."

The title song, This Is My Town, sets up the album's musical journey through New York's five boroughs. The track was co-written by Barry Manilow "with my brilliant, long-time collaborator, Bruce Sussman. I'm very proud of the production, arrangement, orchestration and melody. And listen to Bruce's brilliant lyric. Only a New Yorker could have written that lyric."

According to Barry, "the album is like a melting pot – just like New York is. We take you from Brooklyn to Broadway to Birdland. We even wind up in Coney Island. Take a look at the titles and it really does look like you're going from place to place to place. There are different styles. There's pop, there's a little rock and roll, there's jazz, there's a little R&B, and Broadway. That's what I think of when I think of my home town and of New York."

Barry Manilow, Gesang

Barry Manilow
born June 17, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York, United States is an American pop singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as “Could It Be Magic”, “Mandy”, “Can’t Smile Without You”, and “Copacabana (At the Copa).”

Barry Manilow's unparalleled career encompasses virtually every arena of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. A Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. With worldwide record sales exceeding 80 million, Barry Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time with over 50 top 40 hits.

In 1978, five of his albums were on the best-selling charts simultaneously, a feat equaled only by Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Mathis. He has recorded a string of Billboard hit singles and multi-platinum albums that have resulted in his being named Radio & Records number one Adult Contemporary artist and winning three straight American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist.

Several well-known entertainers have given Manilow their “stamp of approval,” including Sinatra, who was quoted in the 1970s regarding Manilow, “He’s next.” In 1988, Bob Dylan stopped Manilow at a party, hugged him and said, “Don't stop what you’re doing, man. We’re all inspired by you.”

As well as producing and arranging albums for other artists, such as Bette Midler and Dionne Warwick, Manilow has written songs for musicals, films, and commercials. From February 2005 to December 30, 2009, he was the headliner at the Las Vegas Hilton, performing hundreds of shows before ending relationship with the hotel.

From March 2010, he has headlined at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. He has sold more than 80 million records worldwide.

This album contains no booklet.