Liza with a "Z'

AMG Review of Liza with a "Z'

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

The soundtrack to a 1972 TV special, Liza with a "Z" was by far her most popular album, reaching the Top Twenty of the charts. Inevitably, much of the impact of a program by a performer such as Liza Minnelli is lost in an audio-only document, and some fans might prefer the DVD of the special for that reason. As you'd expect, the musical selections for the program showcase her versatility, including standards such as "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "My Mammy," as well as Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and Charles Aznavour's "You've Let Yourself Go." Perhaps to prove she was keeping up with at least some trends in contemporary music, there are also covers of "Son of a Preacher Man" and (as even more of a stretch) Joe Tex's "I Gotcha," though she's not going to make anyone forget Dusty Springfield or Aretha Franklin when it comes to this kind of material. Of course, she was far more at home with show tune fare and, as expected, it's the ten-minute "Cabaret Medley" that goes over best.