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Gently
Studio album by Liza Minnelli
Released	March 19, 1996
Recorded	1996
Genre	Jazz, vocal, traditional
Length	42:12
Label	Angel
Producer	Brooks Arthur
Liza Minnelli chronology
Paris — Palais des Congrès: Intégrale du spectacle (1995) Gently (1996) Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace (1999)
Singles from Gently
"Does He Love You?" Released: February 1996

Gently is a studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli. Released in 1996, it is her first album under the Angel Records/EMI label.

The release came seven years after her last studio album, Results, from 1989. During that time, she released the live albums Live from Radio City Music Hall in 1992 and Paris – Palais des Congrès: Intégrale du spectacle in 1995.

Gently is a jazz-infused album that also includes romantic ballads and lounge music numbers with arrangements featuring vibraphone, piano, and muted trumpet. Its title and theme reference moments in Minnelli's love life, starting from her adolescence when she had crushes on handsome schoolboys.

During the album's promotion, she referred to the work as her "make-out album" due to the irredeemably sentimental themes behind the song choices. She summed up the inspiration behind the album on The Rosie O'Donnell Show when she explained, "There wasn't a romance section . So, I thought, well, maybe I'll make an album that people can kiss to. Remember kissing? Wasn't it great to kiss? That's what this album is about."

As part of the album's promotion, the singer appeared on the UK shopping channel QVC. According to Gilbert Hetherwick, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Angel Records, her appearance on the channel was positive: "She sold thousands of her CD 'Gently' on the network. It's a great way to create awareness, especially for people who live in small towns."

In 1997, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. The award went to the album Here's to the Ladies by singer Tony Bennett.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Guardian

Reviews from music critics were favorable.

Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian gave it three out of five stars.

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that Minnelli managed to blend her musical heritage with the trends of her generation.

Rennie Sparks of the Chicago Reader gave a favorable review, stating that at 50 years old, Liza Minnelli had finally decided to shed the role of a cheerful and optimistic superstar, delivering somber and profound songs, sung with a solitary and sentimental voice, full of fragility and sadness.

Commercial performance

Commercially, it became one of Minnelli's most successful albums on the charts during the 1990s. It reached number 156 on the Billboard magazine's list of best-selling albums, known as the Billboard 200. In the UK, it reached number 58 on the Official Charts Company's list of best-selling albums.

According to a Billboard magazine article, Gently sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.

Track listing

Personnel

• Liza Minnelli – vocals
• Chuck Berghofer – bass guitar
• Terry Gibbs – vibraphone
• Albie Berk – drums
• John Tropea – electric guitar
• Chuck Findley – trumpet
• Tim May – guitar
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion, congas
• John Guerin – drums
• Bob Magnusson – bass guitar
• Mike Renzi – piano
• Emil Richards – vibraphone
• Jack Cavari – acoustic guitar
• Gary Foster – saxophone
• Neil Stubenhaus – bass guitar
• Robbie Buchanan – keyboards
• Randy Brecker – trumpet
• Jim Hughart – bass guitar
• Billy Stritch – piano, backing vocals
• Grant Geissman – guitar
• Lenny Castro – percussion, congas, timpani
• Roger Kellaway – piano
• Will Lee – bass guitar
• John Robinson – drums
• Nino Tempo – saxophone
• Michael Landau – guitar
• Pete Jolly – piano
• Melissa Manchester – backing vocals
• Brenda Russell – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly chart

References

1. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Gently - Liza Minnelli". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
2. Ruhlmann, William. "Liza Minnelli - Results Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
3. "Allmusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
4. "Allmusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
5. ^ Sparks, Rennie (August 1, 1996). "Liza Minelli/Gently/(Angel)". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
6. ^ Piatkowski, Peter (March 22, 2023). "Liza Minnelli Hung Up Her Feather Boa & Sequins for 'Gently'". PopMatters. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
7. ^ Paoletta, Michael (February 12, 2000). "Liza's 'Minnelli on Minnelli' on Angel". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 12, 16. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
8. "Babyface, Celine Dion Dominate Grammy Nominations". E!. January 7, 1997. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
9. "Winners of the 1997 Grammy Awards". NY Times. February 28, 1997. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
10. Ruhlmann, William. "Liza Minnelli Gently". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
11. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (July 5, 1996). "Music: This Week's Pop CD Releases". The Guardian.
12. "Liza Minnelli - Awards - Allmusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
13. "Chart Stats: UK Charts". Retrieved August 30, 2012.
14. "Charts: Liza Minnelli (Gently)". OCC. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
15. "Liza Minnelli - Gently (Awards)". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved July 22, 2013.

• Liza Minnelli albums
• 1996 albums
• Angel Records albums
• Albums produced by Brooks Arthur