Billie Joe + Norah – Foreverly

I’m really original here, so because it was Pride weekend in Taranna, I’m gonna call this series on my finds…

Pride Of Taranna Series Pt. 1: BMV #1 – Billie Joe + Norah – Foreverly

Knowing this existed, and always meaning to get it, didn’t help me get it ’til now. But here it is! And it’s really quite freaking awesome. These are two people I never would have put together in my mind, but it totally works. I like their voices together. I like how they approached the songs, I liked the sound they achieved. It’s true to the style, feel, and intention of the original… with enough of a twist (with Jones’ vocals) to it that it stands on its own as a cool unique thing too. It swings and sways, waltzes and twangs, and it sweetly holds your attention throughout.

I wish I’d snagged this when it came out instead of (inexplicably) waiting this long, it’ll be in rotation a good long while. Damn, that was super-cool.

Hit It Or Quit It? Hit!

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Here’s what this is:

“Foreverly is a collection of traditional songs, and is a reinterpretation of the 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us by The Everly Brothers. It is promoted by the lead single “Long Time Gone”” (Wiki)

Here’s how it happened, according to Armstrong:

“In an interview with Stereogum, Armstrong said: “It all started with Stevie Wonder. [laughter] We sang together with Stevie Wonder and his band and a whole bunch of people, that’s how Norah and I first met. Then … well, I got into the Everly Brothers’ record a couple years ago and I thought it was just beautiful. I was listening to it every morning for a while off and on. I thought it would be cool to remake the record because I thought it was sort of an obscure thing and more people should know about it, but I really wanted to do it with a woman singing because I thought it would take on a different meaning — maybe broaden the meaning a little bit — as compared to hearing the songs being sung by the two brothers. And so my wife said, ‘Why don’t you get Norah Jones to do it?’ and I was like, ‘Well, I kinda know her.’ Well, I mean, we had Stevie Wonder in common. And so I called her and she said yes. So it was kinda like a … well, I keep saying it was kinda like a blind date.” (Wiki)

Norah Jones – The Fall

Released in 2009, this album is a wee bit departure, here and there, if all you know of Jones’ output is Come Away With Me. She’s still got that sound, she’s just freed herself up to some new styles and sounds. Some go so far as to call it her rock album, or her soul effort… I Don’t Know Why (ahem), honestly, and it makes me wonder if those folks even listened to the whole album. There’s still lots of the usual here, it still sounds like her, it’s just that in some spots there are more facets…

I’ll let Wiki tell you:

Prior to the album’s release Jones’ official website stated that she “has taken a new direction on The Fall, experimenting with different sounds and a new set of collaborators, including Jacquire King, a noted producer and engineer who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, and Modest Mouse among others. Jones enlisted several songwriting collaborators, including Ryan Adams and Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, as well as her frequent partner Jesse Harris. King also helped Jones put together a new group of musicians to perform on the album, including drummers Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and James Gadson (Bill Withers), keyboardist James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Al Green), and guitarists Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), Smokey Hormel (Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer)”, Lyle Workman, (Bourgeois Tagg, film composer for Superbad), and Peter Atanasoff (Rickie Lee Jones, Tito and Tarantula). The cover artwork for the album features a portrait by photographer Autumn de Wilde.

Lots of tracks to love, here, but the one that stuck out for me was It’s Gonna Be, in all its bluesy thumpy glory. Also the last track, Man Of The Hour is fun… And there I go, I shouldn’t pick tracks. It’s all good.

In Sum:

Buy with confidence, knowing it’s definitely quality work. I think it’s great she didn’t allow herself stay type-cast.

Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis & Norah Jones – Here We Go Again: Celebrating The Genius Of Ray Charles

I cannot thank BMV enough for this one!!

The 5th Annual Toronto Expedition Series, Part 6 (CD)

Recorded during two shows at the Rose Theater (NYC, 2009-02-9/10), this is a jazz-soaked, fantastic romp through Ray Charles’ incredible songs. The orchestra nails it completely, soloing beautifully all over the place.

Wynton’s huge tone is technical and precise, where Willie is close yet still laidback, and Norah’s soulful… it shouldn’t all work together but it does. They’ve really captured Ray’s spirit of musical inclusivity.

You can absolutely hear how much fun they’re having. I truly loved this stylish disc!