Monthly Archives: February 2020

Reviews

Robin McKelle – Alterations

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Robin McKelle – Alterations (Doxie Records)
Released – 14 February 2020

One of the things I miss because of the Amazonification of the music business is the ability to go into a record shop and browse the bins looking for something new.  If you can find a real record shop these days, they’re mostly selling used discs, and if you can name something, “…we can order it for you.”

Heck, I can order it, too.

Which is a long way of saying that I first found Robin McKelle’s work in the bins of a music store that didn’t stock the same fifty jazz recordings found at Target.

And I’ve been a fan since.

Eclectic in style and choices of music, she’s bypassed original material here for a “best of” list of “…cover songs by different female artists from different genres, and kind of change them…create them into my own thing.”

And her own thing is as varied as the source material.  Pulling from artists as diverse as Dolly Parton, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin and Billie Holiday, Ms. McKelle and the talented group she’s assembled here manage to put these songs through the jazz filter, and what comes out is – “Oh, my – she’s singing ‘Jolene!'”

Part of that credit goes to pianist, arranger, and producer on this set, Shedrick Mitchell.  The arrangements manage to retain just enough of the original but allow Ms. McKelle enough room to take the off-ramp to someplace special.

My favorites include Sade’s “No Ordinary Love,” which was the first single released from this album, and the iconic “Mercedes Benz,” the Janis Joplin classic.

“When you create change, you create space for something to shift in the world and in yourself.  As an artist. And as a human. And that is a change for the good.”

This is Ms. McKelle’s ninth recording.  The first is a collector’s item.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ms. McKelle’s work (she spends a lot of time in Europe), this is a great place to begin your collection.  Good luck finding that first one.

Highest recommendation.

Reviews

Barbara Eden – Miss Barbara Eden (re-release)

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Barbara Eden – Miss Barbara Eden
Original Release: August 1967 (Dot)
Re-release: 14 February 2020 (Real Gone Music)

This release caught my eye today – a re-issue of the 1967 album, “Miss Barbara Eden.”

It just so happens that I own an original vinyl copy – in Stereo, no less, culled from the throw-aways at a radio station that changed its format from what was then “Middle of the Road” to “Top 40.”

Dot Records thought they had a winner with Ms. Eden. They dragged her along to the big National Association of Record Merchandisers convention. “Real Gone Music,” which is releasing this one notes:

“…she got her start performing while singing in the church choir and studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music long before the camera found her. She subsequently headlined on stage in Las Vegas and appeared in TV music-variety shows and specials as well. So, “Miss Barbara Eden” is not just a highly sought-after curio from the long career of a TV icon but an irresistible pop platter in its own right!”

The first single from the album was “Pledge Of Love,” which went nowhere. The second single release was “Bend It,” about which Billboard Magazine gushed:

“The star of TV’s ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ makes her recording debut with an excitement-filled treatment of Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, and Tich’s British hit. Could be the version to make it on this side of the Atlantic.”

That one featured a funky sitar, but no luck.

The album dropped later that year, and also went nowhere, despite Billboard branding it, “Pop Special Merit.”

That said, it is a hard-to-find collector’s item – with good copies on eBay going for more than $200.

My copy – not so good, although I did my best to clean it up when I digitized it a few years ago.

It’s in my record rack right next to Michelle Lee and “L. David Sloane.”

But that’s a review for another day.

“Real Gone Music” is releasing the set both in vinyl and as a CD, noting that the CD “…includes copious photos and notes by Joe Marchese with fresh quotes from Barbara herself, while our LP reissue comes in pink vinyl limited to 1000 copies. One more note on the LP: we’re releasing it at 45 r.p.m. to ensure maximum fidelity to ‘the master’ (wink, wink). “

Recommended if you’re a collector – otherwise, you can listen to a few of the tracks at YouTube.

Reviews

Calabria Foti – Prelude To A Kiss

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I sometimes write about albums that are too big to enjoy on headphones. This is one of those. It demands to be on the studio monitors in the big room.

Calabria Foti - "Prelude To A Kiss"

Calabria Foti – Prelude To A Kiss (MoCo Records)
Released – 1 November 2019

My impression is that there are a few cathedrals for recording music – those spaces that made legendary music by the giants – work to which many aspire, but few attain. The studios at Capitol Records are one of those.

From Wikipedia: “For over 60 years, Capitol Studios has hosted some of the most celebrated artists, from Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Michael Jackson, and Dean Martin to Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, and the Beach Boys.”

It is claimed that the microphone that recorded Frank is still used there, as well as the reverb chamber designed by Les Paul. So when artists say they recorded at Capitol Records, it gets attention. Well, gets my attention.

But what I’m thinking is – is it deserving?

That’s not a problem for Calabria Foti, who comes trailing an orchestra of more than 20 musicians, a cameo by John Pizzarelli on guitar and a duet (on “It’s The Mood That I’m In,”) and a eclectic stack of standards arranged to put a gilded frame around her lush and intimate voice. It’s a voice that is more than worthy of the hardware, the “A” list of West Coast musicians, the arrangements, and the friends. She writes, “This is the most expansive project I have ever done, and at the same time, it’s the most intimate and personal. I recorded at Capitol Records with full orchestra, singing some of the most endearing, sentimental songs ever written, about my devotion to the ones I love.”

Whether cooing a tender ballad or something up and swingy, Ms. Foti’s versatile voice demands attention and deserves it.

Calabria Foti

In the days of short attention spans, and the ability to purchase a single track, I’d suggest three. “On the Street Where You Live” is familiar and up-tempo, showcasing a short scat that sells the track for me. “Goodbye” is the single original on the set – penned by Ms. Foti – deserves to stand alongside the classics, lets the orchestra open up, and highlights Ms. Foti’s remarkable range – both in power and emotion. The third would be a toss-up between Mr. Pizzarelli’s appearance on “It’s The Mood I’m In,” and trombonist Bob McChesney’s solo turn on “The Man With The Horn.”

But if you buy those three (or four), you’ll want to get the rest, too.

Mr. McChesney produces – he’s got a lot to work with here, and I didn’t mention that Ms. Foti doubles as an accomplished and confident violinist, as well.

More than worthy of the legendary studio, this is a set that’s also worthy of your big speakers in a big room.

In the evening.

With someone you love.

Highest recommendation for this gem.