The album opens with “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover,” here listed as “Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover.” The instrumental intro includes static, as if from an old record, and, rather than the drums as on the original version, it is the flute that begins this track. When Lisa Lindsley’s vocals come in, her voice at first has a smooth sound. She then cuts loose when the band kicks in for the chorus, and that’s when this track really starts to shine. It becomes a lot of fun, featuring a delicious groove. I love that work on drums. This rendition features some nice work on flute. This song was included on Paul Simon’s 1975 record Still Crazy After All These Years, and was also released as a single, reaching number one on the charts. She follows that with the most recent song chosen for this album, “Stranger To Stranger,” the title track from Paul Simon’s 2016 release. This version features a great arrangement, with a strong, cool bass line, and some excellent work from Esaie Cid. But what is most striking is Lisa Lindsley’s delivery, which is intriguing, being both sultry and haunting. It is a compelling performance. The way she delivers that repetition of “I love you,” it feels like it’s spoken as part of a dance, which is wonderful. I didn’t expect this song to be one of my favorites, but it is.
“Graceland” is the title track from Paul Simon’s 1986 album, the first of two songs from that album Lisa Lindsley has chosen to cover. The band takes a delightful approach to this song. Of course percussion plays a prominent role in this song, and Mourad Benhammou’s work is strong right from the track’s opening moments. There is a drum solo in the middle, which helps make this another of the disc’s highlights for me. It also features some excellent work on piano. There is a joy to this track, a light aspect, particularly in Esaie Cid’s work and in Lisa’s vocal delivery. “Ooh, so this is what she means, she means we’re bouncing into Graceland.” I think most listeners are going to want to take that trip to Graceland with Lisa Lindsley. That’s followed by the other song she’s chosen from Graceland, “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes.” It has an intriguing opening, kind of easing in, the lyrics coming smoothly in that opening section. There is then a brief pause before Esaie Cid comes in, and the song takes off. This one too has a light feeling that is quite appealing. There is a playful aspect to this song which Lisa taps into perfectly. “As if everybody knows what I’m talking about/As if everybody here knows exactly what I’m talking about.”
The second of three songs selected from Still Crazy After All These Years is “You’re Kind.” This track contains perhaps my favorite vocal performance of the album. Lisa Lindsley gets quite playful here, and there is something strangely sexy, the way she lures us in to get what she wants, telling us, “And you’re so good, you’re so good.” Particularly as this song is from the perspective of a stray cat (or, I suppose, possibly a dog), and generally it’s the animal that is told it is good. But here that is reversed. And just as easily she says goodbye: “I’m gonna leave you now and here’s the reason why/I like to sleep with the window open, and you keep the window closed/Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.” And as she leaves, Esaie Cid takes over, delivering some delightful work on clarinet, followed by some nice stuff by Laurent Marode on piano, all over that great groove. It is the bass that closes things. Then from Paul Simon’s 1977 album Greatest Hits, Etc., Lisa gives us “Stranded In A Limousine,” which was also released as a single. Here we get another delicious groove (I love that bass line), and some excellent work on piano. And Lisa is obviously having a great time delivering this song’s vocal line.
Lisa Lindsley gives us a beautiful rendition of “Nobody,” a song from Paul Simon’s One Trick Pony, released in 1980. This rendition has something of a late-night vibe, which is perfect, Lisa’s vocal performance having a romantic and sexy quality. And halfway through, this song gets even cooler, with that lead on bass. That whole instrumental section has a great, laid-back vibe. This is another of the disc’s highlights. The album concludes with the title track from Still Crazy After All These Years, the third song from that record they cover here. It features another wonderful vocal performance, and this track too has something of a late-night vibe, that time when you start thinking about things. As she sings of “four in the morning,” we get that feel. By the way, I believe 4 a.m. is the time most often mentioned in songs. Someday I’ll compile a list of songs that take place at that time, but for now I’ll just mention a few: Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat,” Roger Daltry’s “Milk Train,” The Everly Brothers’ “Do You,” The Carpenters’ “I Need To Be In Love,” Josh Lederman Y Los Diablos’ “Four In The Morning (Or, Love Streams),” Sam Llanas’ “4 A.M.,” Cutty’s “Four In The Morning” and Ruthie Foster’s “4 am.” The track includes another good lead on bass.
CD Track List
- Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover
- Stranger To Stranger
- Graceland
- Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
- You’re Kind
- Stranded In A Limousine
- Nobody
- Still Crazy After All These Years
The Paul Simon Project is scheduled to be released on November 17, 2023.
No comments:
Post a Comment