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Janie
Administrator
United Kingdom
6060 Posts |
 Posted - 07/04/2008 : 09:54:40
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Shelby Lynne salutes Dusty Springfield
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2008/04/shelby_lynne_salutes_dusty_spr.html
by Jay Lustig, Star-Ledger Staff
Sunday April 06, 2008, 10:04 PM
NEW YORK -- Shelby Lynne admitted, during her Friday night show at the Concert Hall at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, that there was some selfishness behind her decision to record a Dusty Springfield tribute album.
Yes, she wanted to honor Springfield, who died in 1999. But also, "they're some of the greatest songs ever written," said Lynne.
The album --"Just a Little Lovin'," released in January -- proved that Lynne, 39, had more on her mind than paying tribute. She rarely evoked Springfield's brassiness, but approached the songs with a low-key, emotionally direct country/soul/torch style of her own.
That's the way she delivered the songs in concert, too. Appearing with a four-piece band (guitarist John Jackson, keyboardist Randy Leago, bassist Brian Harrison, drummer Bryan Owings), she stood at her mike stand, without her usual guitar, for the "Just a Little Lovin'" numbers. Often, she twisted her body or repeatedly flexed her hands, as if grappling with the emotional complexity of a song like "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore." The band usually played softly, favoring subtle accents and, sometimes, using silence for dramatic effect.
"I Only Want to Be With You" veered a little too close to lounge-pop territory, but Lynne and the band were flawless on songs like "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and "Breakfast in Bed," reinventing them, basically, by stripping them down to their essence.
After performing seven of the 10 "Just a Little Lovin'" songs, she strapped on her guitar and sang some of her own country-rock material. She sang about Johnny Cash, in "Johnny Met June," and her Alabama youth (with the "crickets spreadin' rumors by the shoreline") in "Where I'm From."
She showcased her own torch song, "Black Light Blue," with Leago creating a string effect on synthesizer. For "Pretend," her one self-written song on "Just a Little Lovin'," she was backed by just Jackson and Harrison. The set ended with its loudest, most cathartic songs: "Your Lies" and "Jesus on a Greyhound."
Lynne and the band jammed a bit on the first encore, a funky version of "Thought It Would Be Easier." Jackson took a long solo, as did Leago, though after she asked him to "Play some of that synthesizer stuff" and he did, she changed her mind. "That sounds like 'Jump' -- don't play that," she said, apparently referring to the Van Halen song.'"
Next came her sweetest love song, "Iced Tea" ("You're the cornbread and iced tea of life," she sang). And then, as the final encore, one last "Just a Little Lovin'" number, "How Can I Be Sure."
More people associate that song with the Young Rascals, who had a hit with it in 1967, rather than Springfield, who also recorded it. But with its yearning lyrics, tricky rhythm and graceful melody, it made a fine closing track for the album, and a perfect closer for the concert, too.
It also emphasized the point that the album didn't just honor Springfield; it also paid tribute to the writers responsible for her material. People like Burt Bacharach and Hal David ("Anyone Who Had a Heart"), Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ("Just a Little Lovin'"), Randy Newman ("I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore") and Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavaliere ("How Can I Be Sure"). The songs had lives of their own before Springfield found them. And, thanks to people like Lynne, they continue to evolve.
Between songs, Lynne chatted casually. Since the show was taking place at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, she playfully vowed that she wouldn't "cuss"; after she inadvertently let a four-letter word slip, moments later, she covered her mouth with her hand, as if embarrassed.
She also held up a vinyl copy of "Just a Little Lovin'," and talked about how happy she was that the album is available that way. She grew up listening to vinyl, of course, but her previous nine albums have been CD-only. "It took me 20 years to get on vinyl," she said.
Janie  x54
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Carole R.
Higher and Higher
United Kingdom
13655 Posts |
 Posted - 07/04/2008 : 13:47:12
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She rarely evoked Springfield's brassiness, but approached the songs with a low-key, emotionally direct country/soul/torch style of her own.
 Okay, I'm gunning for Jay Lustig. 
He has obviously never even heard Dusty's wide vocal range.
Brassiness????? The cheek of it!... 
Carole R xx |
Edited by - Carole R. on 07/04/2008 14:17:58 |
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reputation
Something Special
United Kingdom
1346 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2008 : 12:38:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Carole R.
She rarely evoked Springfield's brassiness, but approached the songs with a low-key, emotionally direct country/soul/torch style of her own.
Okay, I'm gunning for Jay Lustig.
He has obviously never even heard Dusty's wide vocal range.
Brassiness????? The cheek of it!...
Carole R xx
I quite agree with you Carole, there's a word that describes Jay and it's what the baby said several times in the movie Meet The Fockers. |
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Janie
Administrator
United Kingdom
6060 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2008 : 15:21:04
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quote:
Originally posted by reputation
quote:
Originally posted by Carole R.
She rarely evoked Springfield's brassiness, but approached the songs with a low-key, emotionally direct country/soul/torch style of her own.
Okay, I'm gunning for Jay Lustig.
He has obviously never even heard Dusty's wide vocal range.
Brassiness????? The cheek of it!...
Carole R xx
I quite agree with you Carole, there's a word that describes Jay and it's what the baby said several times in the movie Meet The Fockers.
I've found another Streisand fan!  
Janie x54 |
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Shelby Lynne salutes Dusty Springfield
