Wild Blue Herons: “You & I” (2021) CD Review

Wild Blue Herons are the husband-and-wife duo of pianist Bill Sample and singer Darlene Cooper, based in Vancouver. Their latest release, You & I, came about during the pandemic, when a sudden lack of gigs left them time to revisit and appreciate old records, particularly the standards. That led to them rehearsing some of those songs, and eventually recording them, putting their own spins on some old favorites. The album was recorded at their home, just the two of them, and so the tracks have a very intimate feel, something of a departure from their first release, On The Outside, which featured a full band and focused on original material.

They open the album with “I Wish I’d Met You.” This is a song that speaks to me, particularly as my girlfriend sometimes says she wishes we’d met earlier, when we were in our twenties. “Think of how we wasted all those years in between.” However, the line “But would we have been wise enough to know how to make a go of it” always stands out, because I don’t think I would have fully appreciated our relationship at a much younger age, and probably would have screwed it up. And when Darlene Cooper sings that line, it is coming from a point of experience, completely connecting to those of us who have at least a few decades under our belts. And then when she sings “But all the same, I wish I’d met you when we were very young,” it is like she is opening up, admitting something. It is a wonderful performance, with both strength and a certain wistful quality. That’s followed by “The Nearness Of You,” written by Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington. This one begins with some pretty work on piano before Darlene comes in. And then after a time there is something of a playful quality in Bill’s piano work, like the instrument itself is confident in her love, in her passion, and struts a bit as she professes her feelings. The piano has a more thoughtful, introspective air during the solos. This is an excellent rendition.

“It Had To Be You” is a song I still associate mostly with Annie Hall, no matter how many other versions I hear. Darlene Cooper delivers a much stronger vocal performance here, of course. And they start to swing a bit when she first sings that song’s title line, a nice moment. The track really takes off at that point. “Nobody else gave me a thrill/With all your faults, I love you still.” Ah, now that is an honest declaration of love. Bill Sample then adds some work on keys, combining an organ sound with that of the piano. The duo then goes to a more a recent decade for a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “You And I,” the song that gives the album its title. Darlene Cooper delivers a passionate and moving vocal performance, particularly on the lines “Will it stay, the love you feel for me/Will it say that you will be/By my side to see me through/Until my life is through.” Then in “An Older Man Is Like An Elegant Wine,” she sings “Some things are worth waiting for/Some things improve with age.” I think I am beginning to appreciate this song more as I get older. And I’m appreciating wine more, so there’s that too. Darlene’s delivery of the title line is gorgeous.

In addition to these standards and popular songs, Bill Sample and Darlene Cooper deliver two original numbers on this album. The first is “Don’t Know How To Love You,” which begins gently on piano and features a heartfelt vocal performance. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “I don’t know how to love you anymore/Everything that I say comes out wrong/And I don’t know how to show you that inside of me/Is a love that’s just for you.” Some of these lines are heartbreaking, such as “And I don’t know how to let you know/How much I long to hold you close” and “Now the words between us are few.” It is sad that some people, some relationships get to that point. Thinking back to the album’s opening track, perhaps one way some of us avoid these things is by meeting a little later in life. The second original composition is “Impossible Love,” this one about a relationship that has not begun. “Something tells me this will never be/I will never hold you like she holds you/I will never hold you/Something tells me we can never be.” The desire and need are clear in her delivery, as is the sadness. Yet she still has hope for this relationship, as she ends with the line “Something tells me this was meant to be.” Ah, but is it, or is she deluding herself? After all, the song is titled “Impossible Love.” This track features a pretty piano solo in the middle.

“Here’s To Life” is a song most strongly associated with Shirley Horn. It is a song of experience and wisdom, of looking back and looking forward. “I still believe in chasing dreams and placing bets/But I have learned that all you give is all you get/So give it all you’ve got.” It is a fantastic song, and these guys do an excellent job with it. These lines always catch me: “Funny how the time just flies/How love can go from warm hellos to sad goodbyes/And leave you with the memories you’ve memorized/To keep your winters warm.” Darlene’s delivery of those lines in particular is wonderful. What I love is that this song is about someone who is older and is still yearning for new experiences, someone who is not simply wrapped in nostalgia, no matter how strong the memories. Though before the song’s conclusion there is the sense that the end is near, for she moves from thoughts of herself to thoughts of others. This is a beautiful, powerful and moving rendition. That’s followed by “Save Your Love For Me,” a love song of sorts. The opening lines always kind of make me laugh: “Wish I knew/Why I’m so in love with you.” On this track, Bill Sample plays keyboard in addition to piano, and Darlene delivers a little scat at the end.

“The Way You Look Tonight” is one of my favorite songs. It often gets in my head, or at least those opening lines do. “Some day when I’m awfully low/When the world is cold/I will feel a glow/Just thinking of you/And the way you look tonight.” What a beautiful love song. Darlene Cooper and Bill Sample do a wonderful job with it. I love that they allow the time for a beautiful piano section in the middle. That’s followed by “Lush Life” another excellent song. It begins by looking back with some weariness on what should have been delightful times. But then these are the lines that always stand out for me: “Then you came along/With your siren song/To tempt me to madness.” I love her delivery here. She completely inhabits this song, giving a powerful and meaningful performance. Just listen to the way she sings the lines “Life is lonely again/And only last year everything seemed so sure/Now life is awful again.” The album concludes with another timeless gem, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” written by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal. This song always gets to me, and I find myself tearing up listening to this rendition, especially these lines: “And I’ll be seeing you/In every lovely summer’s day/In everything that’s light and gay/I’ll always think of you that way/I’ll find you in the morning sun/And when the night is new/I’ll be looking at the moon/But I’ll be seeing you.”

CD Track List

1. I Wish I’d Met You
2. The Nearness Of You
3. It Had To Be You
   
4. You And I
5. An Older Man Is Like An Elegant Wine
6. Don’t Know How To Love You
7. Impossible Love
8. Here’s To Life
9. Save Your Love For Me
10. The Way You Look Tonight
11. Lush Life
12. I’ll Be Seeing You

You & I was released on CD on November 19, 2021. A limited vinyl release is planned for the spring.