THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408120098
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: ALBUM REVIEWS
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Richie Havens, ``Cuts to the Chase'' (Forward/Rhino) - Quick. Name two artists who performed at Woodstock.
I'd bet Friday's paycheck one of those would be Richie Havens. And not just because he was the lead-off performer.
Havens' rendition of ``Handsome Johnny'' - and, of course, his ``Freedom'' encore - captivated festivalgoers 25 years ago with their earnestness and passion.
On ``Cuts to the Chase,'' the 52-year-old guitarist/songwriter shows he's lost none of his idealism. Or his honesty. He still sees the world as it is, and still offers mankind shots at redemption.
Havens' out-to-sea voice and odd, open-E tuned strumming is best suited to folk-flavored songs. And this album offers tunes from that idiom, including a plaintive rendition of Bob Dylan's ``The Times They Are A-Changin'.'' Jackson Browne's ``Lives in the Balance'' is clearly the stellar track. The only self-penned tune is ``Young Boy,'' in which Havens urges young men to stop killing each other.
There's also some blues and a love song or two. Guitarist Billy Perry tosses off hellacious runs in ``Fade to Blue.'' ``At A Glance,'' the Greg Chansky tune that closes the album, shows Havens' tender side.
- M.L. Lake
Jeanie Bryson, ``Tonight I Need You So'' (Telarc) - Good breeding shows in singer Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of the late jazz great Dizzy Gillespie and songwriter Connie Bryson. She combines skilled interpretation of lyrics with a keen rhythmic sense.
On last year's Telarc debut, ``I Love Being Here With You,'' Bryson seemed intent on establishing her jazz credentials. She brought her husky-voiced understatement to such chestnuts as Irving Berlin's ``Cheek to Cheek'' and Fats Waller's ``Squeeze Me.'' This time out, Bryson's more varied tune selection nudges her more toward pop singing, and the promise of her debut is fulfilled.
Bryson's mother wrote or co-wrote four of the 12 tracks, including the title tune. And Bryson is surrounded by some of the same musicians from her debut, plus trumpeter Claudio Roditi, pianist Danilo Perez and Paquito D'Rivera - all veterans of Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra.
Bryson is at her most intimate on Fats Waller's ``Honeysuckle Rose,'' which begins as a sensuous blend of Bryson's warm, relaxed voice and Christian McBride's gentle bass before pianist Ted Brancato eases in. On this tune and tracks like Stevie Wonder's ``Too Shy to Say,'' Bryson brings a storyteller's sense of timing to her delivery.
Listen also for ``I Don't Want to Fall,'' a collaborative effort by Brancato and Bryson's mother. It starts molasses slow - just Bryson and Brancato's piano - but metamorphoses into a gently swinging number and back to waltz time.
- M.L. Lake
Take 6, ``Join the Band'' (Reprise) - And join they have. This acclaimed a cappella group has apparently made a calculated move to woo Top 40 consumers by adding musicians to the mix.
The backing band features a roster of jazz/pop session heavyweights who produce a thick, syrupy goo of soulless ersatz jazz. The material is predictable and boring lightweight pop in the style of Shai, Boyz II Men and others. It's hardly a forum to showcase the sextet's wonderful voices and harmonies. The group does shine on several short experimental ditties called ``Interludes,'' including a very brief but marvelous reading of Maurice White's Brazilian vocalese ``Badiyah.'' It also does excellent work in backing special guests Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, whom they surround with swirling harmonies and shimmering vocals.
- Eric Feber MEMO: To hear exerpts from these recordings, call INFOLINE at 640-5555 and
touch 6275. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
On ``Cuts to the Chase,'' Richie Havens shows he's lost none of his
idealism. On ``Tonight I Need You So,'' Jeanie Bryson fulfills the
promise of her debut recording.
by CNB