5 Songs Friday, Nov. 22, 2024

Jumping around eras and genres is the way I like to go

Sarah Vaughan – “(In My) Solitude” 1964 from The Lonely Hours. Here we have one of the greatest singers of all time doing a song written by one of the greatest composers of all time arranged by another giant of jazz history. Sarah Vaughan offers a tour de force vocal on this classic Duke Ellington song (with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills) with an impeccable arrangement by Benny Carter (who just seems to be on my mind of late). The melody is classic Ellington, and Vaughan never lets us forget it, even as she adds melismatic runs to certain syllables, and shifts rhythmic emphasis by holding certain notes an extra beat or by connecting other notes quicker than on the original. Carter’s arrangement is entirely supportive, never calling attention to itself, but always providing exactly the right tone and rhythm to keep Vaughan solidly in the center of our attention. It’s a beautiful and oft overlooked rendition.

Dusty Springfield – “Tupelo Honey” 1973 from Cameo. Everybody knows the album Dusty in Memphis but fewer are aware Dusty Springfield kept on exploring that soulful sound for some years after. This take on Van Morrison’s classic song is almost as exhilarating as the original. Sadly, Springfield couldn’t sing the original lyrics, as she was hiding her sexual orientation and thus decided to change the genders to say the person as sweet as tupelo honey was a man. But it’s not really like the bits about knights in armor bent on chivalry are all that important anyway. The song is all about expressing love in a big, explosive way. Dusty Springfield could always deliver emotions, and she makes this record sound as if she felt the delicacy and the passion inherent in the song.

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – “Theme From Valley of the Dolls” 1969 from Live! Motown was famously the Sound of Young America, but many of its artists (encouraged by label honcho Berry Gordy) aspired to what they knew as adult showbiz success. That meant they wanted to play supper clubs, and sing the kinds of songs that didn’t appeal to kids and teens or even college age people. Dionne Warwick, of all soul-affiliated singers, had that kind of cachet, and she had been tapped to sing this André and Dory Previn song from the camp classic film. (Of course, it wasn’t considered camp until later – at the time, it was a critical disaster but a box office smash.) Smokey sings this quite lovely little song with minimal yet exquisite deviations from the melody, as the Miracles harmonize like they were auditioning for a TV variety show or something. It’s really pretty stuff, and the song itself, with its questioning of the wisdom of staying on a path that’s not leading anywhere good, delivers all the emotional oomph needed.

Champion Jack Dupree – “No Future” 1990 from Back Home in New Orleans. Unlike the Sex Pistols, Dupree was singing about a singular lack of a future rather than an entire society’s problem. “Don’t have no future / I don’t think I ever will / Just me and my bottle / That’s where I get my thrill.” I am so glad I got to catch Dupree live the year before this album came out – two more years and he would pass away. He was a distinctive blues pianist, with a boogie woogie background and a mix of New Orleans influences, but unique at the same time. I love the powerful way he played his responsive filigrees on the high notes, and the deep rumble from his left hand. The band on this track is good, but not as important as his vocals and piano are – I wish he’d played a solo instead of just supporting the guitarist. But I don’t want to complain – this is a wonderful blues performance from one of the sadly oft-forgotten greats.

White Denim – “Performance” 2018 from Performance. A song has to be pretty good to overcome my distaste for the incredibly compressed sound of this record (and most other White Denim material). You can’t really tell what’s playing what aside from the general vibe, but damned if this quirky little number isn’t catchy as all get out. The lyrics are about a failed attempt to brush off a break-up, and the mix of pain and self-denial is fascinating. The tempo changes (and maybe time signatures, too?) match the complexity of the emotions. That guitar riff is hard to deny, and the insistent vocal rhythms get under the skin.