Customer Reviews

Double Standards

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very successful album. The arrangements, production, and talent is right on the mark. Lea manages expertly the difficult task of translating rock songs into a traditional jazz vocabulary and the band is excellent. She succeeds where most jazz singers fail (maybe because she was smart enough to avoid Joni Mitchell's brilliant but mostly impossible songs). "Philadelphia" is so well done that it is destined to become a new jazz standard. It's stylish jazz at its best.

When I first heard that this recording existed, I was skeptical. I mean, really, who would want to hear Blondie's "Call Me" jazzed up. But believe me, Lea Delaria et al take this song, and the others, to a new level of feeling. Very sultry, indeed.

By the time I got to Green Day's onanistic "Longview", I was sold on the idea. I have been exposed to jazz/torch singers in the past but I would never have believed that "Been Caught Stealing" could be done the same way.

If you are a fan of jazz and/or a fan of the originals, you will be happy you own this. It is great to see a artist attempt to bring jazz to a younger audience.

In the past two weeks I've reviewed Petra Haden's "The Who Sell Out" and this one. Rarely have I heard two albums, so close in time, which constitute very impressive performances of doomed ideas.

In the case of Ms. Haden, the issue isn't doing a vocal jazz rendition of "The Who Sell Out" album; the issue is doing an all-vocal recreation by having one artist singing a bunch of tracks into the mixing board.

In this case, the issue isn't doing a vocal jazz rendition of alt rock or punk tunes from the '80's and '90's; it's doing these tunes.

In fact, initially I really liked the idea that someone was willing to take on this project. A plus mark for any vocal jazz artist who is willing to take the artform beyond another cover of "Love For Sale." And in its execution, if you didn't know these tunes, you'd say that this album sounds very good.

Here's the problem: jazz in its heyday was about taking popular music of the day, exploring it and making it edgy. Think of Coltrane's "My Favorite Things", or even Louis Armstrong's "Dinah", and you know what I mean.

But how can you possibly take Green Day's "Longview", for example, Soundgarten's "Black Hole Sun", Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders' "Tattooed Love Boys" or Jane's Addiction's "Been Caught Stealing" and make them edgier than the originals? You can't; and in particular, Chris Cornell's anthem to teenaged angst sounds like well-done lounge music.

The tunes that work best on this project are the ones that are the least edgy, the least about teenage angst and sexual irresolutions. Neil Young's "Philadelphia", Gwen Stefani's "Just a Girl" and the Doors' "People Are Strange" all sound fine. And Robert Wyatt's "Alliance" in particular is an edgier, darker improvement on the original: put this cut and 10 others of this genre here, and you have a high-5 album. And the musicians on this project (Gil Goldstein-piano/accordion; Christian McBride-bass; Seamus Blake-tenor sax; Bill Stewart-drums; and others) are top drawer.

I hope this album inspires jazz artists to be more adventuresome. But some things, such as jazz and three-chord power punk, or jazz and grunge, generally don't mix very well. RC

This second of Warner Bros. planned four disc deal with Lea DeLaria is captivating and fine. Once again, MUSICAL values are the driving force and the reason for the occasion. The provenance of the songs themselves is as far from the point as you can wander in the face of subtle and convincing instrumental work of a first rate band coupling the deliriously heart tuned singing of Lea DeLaria. The band assembled here is tight enough to succeed even without a singer! Seamus Blake's tenor sax work is consistently standout, busting loose on Morrison's 'People Are Strange'. Chris McBride's bass makes points as an emotional instrument rarely explored nowadays. Beautiful percussion effects on 'Alliance'. Gil Goldstein's arrangements (and his keyboard work) think and move and end up so right each time. DeLaria's singing comes more into its own on this second outing even if the first effort took on her home turf Broadway. Lea's ways are uncanny. There's an edge to even her tenderest moments, and you know she's right. Most important, she's a musician of rigorous standards, and that goodness rewards every track. A CD this fine smashes category, jazz or otherwise, the years will prove it. DeLaria's transformations of herself, her music and ideas about art meanwhile plunges forward. It's all good.

Amazon reviewer Vincentelli writes "it's hard to shake off the impression that this is a stylistic exercise that gets caught up in its own self-aware coolness." She's unaware of the kind of self-awareness pervading Lea DeLaria's musical art, neither stylistic exercise nor in the least caught up (a spoiler, she means) but a vital part of the whole, a modern approach sampling homage and shunning imitation - indeed a coolness. Hip even, and hip's ALWAYS 'self-conscious' wanting you to listen, to see the new being born and answering in the end only to excellence. We all want perfect art from perfect artists, but Vincentelli's suggestion that authenticity is lacking is an uninformed shot in an otherwise leaden review. The natural force of Lea DeLaria's music overthrows all of that anyway. Get this disc and be multiplied.

The concept is simple...take rock and punk songs and transform them into the jazz milieu. Lea Delaria has an alto that is nicely sultry and smoky and it adds heft to some of these songs that wasn't always present in the originals. On the other hand, some of these songs just proved to be ill-suited to a jazz format despite good arrangements..the lyrics don't hold up to the scrutiny you give them in a "torch song" style.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Delaria's managed to take a song I never really liked and make me give it a second look. Her take on No Doubt's "Just a Girl" reminds me a bit of the Rippingtons at times. It has a buoyant fun feel that turns it into more of a "girl power" anthem than the feminist screed it had sounded like to my ears when Stefani and company did it."Been Caught Stealing" is a funk-jazz fusion shuffle and Delaria's clearly having fun in the "bad girl" persona of the shoplifter. "Black Hole Sun" is much more well arranged here than in a Steve and Eydie version from the LOUNGEAPALOOZA compilation from years back.

LOWS:
"Kiko and the Lavender Moon" already had a somewhat jazzy feel when Los Lobos did it and I thought the arrangement here was too close. It didn't bring anything new to the song. Green Day's "Longview" just didn't translate that well to jazz. It's just too jarring to hear masturbation lyrics over cocktail music.

BOTTOM LINE:
I'm not sure if this is the wave of the future for attracting younger fans to jazz, but the sensiblity here is NOT ironic. Delaria's not a hipster poking fun at rock a la "lounge"...she's trying to add to the catalogue of jazz songs. Perhaps more judicious choices next time out will lead to a truly fabulous album. This will probably appeal most to openminded rock and jazz fans and Delaria diehards. Rock and jazz purists alike will probably hate it.

3 1/2 stars

Lea Delaria is a brilliant and legitimate jazz vocalist. By "legitimate" I mean she's really a jazz singer, not a pop crooner doing jazz standards like the overrated, overexposed, and totally boring Diana Krall. Lea knows how to make her voice sound like a clarinet: straight, perfectly in-tune tones, legato lines. She can make her tone smile and smirk and snarl. She's the real deal.

Unfortunately I think many people associate her with some not-so-great-in-retrospect comedy, TV, and film performances she did in the 90s, playing a self-parodying self-described "bulldyke in a china store." Well, she's so much more than that.

The arrangements and the ensemble's performances are sophisticated and first-rate. The only reason I'm not giving this a five-star review is that I'm not as fond of the repertoire choices on this (vs. her "Play It Cool" album). I love the idea, though--to reinterpret indie rock as jazz.

Several years ago I got to hear Lea live in a San Francisco nightclub. She was absolutely in command from the first minute to the last. Everything was perfect. Too bad the audience wasn't larger--I was really surprised and disappointed by that. I've wanted to do everything I could to promote her ever since.

I disagree with one of the last reviews said, its not necessarily about making a song edgier, its about giving your perspective on a standard.

I ran across this album on Pandora last night, and snapped it up on iTunes immediately.

This is a FANTASTIC album from an artist with an (odd) diverse background. The song that caught my attention was Black Hole Sun.

I believe more jazz artist should give their interpretations of Standards of the Day.

The American Songbook didn't die with My Favorite Things, Tea For Two or My Funny Valentine, the American Songbook is ongoing and has influenced every generation.

I look forward to hearing MORE Jazz Artist give their interpretations of the Standards of the Day.

She's got a serious album here.