ROBERT PALMER: Ridin´ high

ROBERT PALMER
(CB, de The Hague - Holanda)
De quanto em vez, tenho algumas surpresas agradáveis, vindas de artistas que nunca mereceram minha atenção. Um exemplo recente foi com Boz Scaggs e a dose agora é repetida com ROBERT PALMER, neste excelente álbum de standards, acompanhado
de big-band. Nunca prestei atenção ao trabalho de Palmer (nem de Scaggs) que, habitualmente, atuam numa seara que não faz parte das minhas preferências, razão da minha surpresa, ao deparar com um álbum como este.

(*) Durante anos, The Hague hospedou o NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL - na minha opinião o melhor festival de jazz do mundo. Agora o NSJF mudou de endereço e passou a ser realizado em Rotterdam. Mas The Hague (a.k.a Haya) que foi inserida na História do Brasil por ter sido o cenário onde se tornou famoso mundialmente o "nosso" grande Rui Barbosa, não deixou a peteca cair: em junho vai realizar o THE HAGUE JAZZ FESTIVAL, que promete ser tão bom quanto o NSJF.
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ROBERT PALMER
Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003), born in Batley, Yorkshire, was an English singer-songwriter. He was known for his soulful voice and the eclectic mix of musical styles on his albums, combining soul, jazz, rock, pop and blues. Palmer, who made his home in Lugano, Switzerland for his last 15 years, died in Paris, France in 2003 of a sudden heart attack at the age of 54.
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ALBUM REVIEW
When I think of Swing or Big Band music, a lot names come to mind, but one I never would have thought of was Robert Palmer, the singer of dreadful 80s tunes like Irresistable. In my youth I was *not* a Palmer fan. But one day I was listening to the radio and I heard his rendition of "Mercy Mercy Me." Well, I thought it was great, even if he was the singer, so I bought the CD it was on ("Don't Explain"). Some of the other songs were okay, such as Housework, but I really didn't get into it until I got to the title track. When I heard the opening music, and then his voice, I was hooked. And then came Aeroplane, and lastly You're My Thrill. Those songs were great! But sadly they only made up a small segment of the CD. Well, a couple of years later, and he released "Ridin' High," a fantastic set of swinging standards and other finger-snappin' cuts. No, it's not the greatest versions of these songs on the planet, but he delivers them with real zeal and love. His voice can alternate between sultry and sizzling with ease. And what's greatest is that he turned to this style of music years before it became trendy. I highly recommend this disk.
By Justin R. Macumber (Fort Worth, Texas United States)
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MINHA OPINIÃO - é muito interessante este álbum de Robert Palmer, explorando um excelente repertório de "standards", músicas da Broadway e do "Tin Pan Alley". Os arranjos da "big band" são sombrios, meio "dark & shadowed", explorando regiões mais graves e de menos brilho da instrumentação, o que lhe confere um toque especial e diferente. A releitura de Palmer para "Love is the Tender Trap" (até então, propriedade absoluta de Frank Sinatra) é excelente, assim como as de "Love me or leave me", "Bewitched", etc. Algumas faixas ("Goody, goody", "Honeysucle Rose") foram arranjadas num clima mais alegre, explorando outras formações instrumentais. Tudo isso confere a este álbum uma qualidade que - até onde sei, Robert Palmer não obtivera em outras performances.
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ROBERT PALMER: Ridin´ high

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
1. Love Me Or Leave Me
2. (Love Is) The Tender Trap
3. You're My Thrill
4. Want You More
5. Baby It's Cold Outside
6. Aeroplane
7. Witchcraft
8. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (Road House)
9. Don't Explain
10. Chance
11. Goody Goody
12. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
13. Honeysuckle Rose
14. No Not Much
15. Ridin' High
16. Hard Head