The Power of the Heart: A Tribute To Lou Reed
Lou Reed was a hard musical pill to swallow for some. Vocals were dry & monotone. He always “sang” in a somewhat narrative manner rather than a musical one. But there was an attractive idea to his repertoire. He did mine a dark side quite different from what Tom Waits later did. Lou was the Charles Bukowski of rock singers.
Through a 5-decade career, Lou’s subjects weren’t always pretty but his compositional abilities did reveal a skill that made many songs accessible depending on the arrangement. A “singer” like The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards is ideal on “Waiting For My Man” with its gritty groove. I wonder if Keith would’ve joined The Velvet Underground had the Stones broken up. He would’ve been a nice counter vocal & guitar to Reed, John Cale & Nico. A world without Keith Richards? Bite your tongue & light a candle.
This CD produced by Bill Bentley is a curiosity with star-studded performances on the 12 cuts of The Power of the Heart: A Tribute To Lou Reed (Dropped April 20/Light In the Attic Records). Because there are vocalists who don’t fit the MO of a Lou Reed style, they give it their best & it’s wonderful – or is it maybe — that Lou Reed’s songs sound wonderful (any old way)?
The musician’s skill on this set far outweighs the spare showcase The Velvet Underground & Lou Reed solo originally provided. Perhaps, it just sounds as if it’s more entertaining since Lou wasn’t an entertainer per se but a raw stripped-down epitome of rock n’ roll outcast & rebellion.
Rufus Wainwright sings “A Perfect Day” in his dour vocalizing style. Lou’s simplistic lyrics & heavy-duty melodies, whether beautiful or intense, are compelling. As rocking as she usually is, Joan Jett’s restrained on “I’m So Free,” while Automatic puts a new wave spin on Lou’s “New Sensations.”
Because the “music” of Lou Reed & the image of The Velvet Underground is engrained in the rock fan’s mind it’s hard to hear & accept covers of their songs sung in a manner contrary to the originals. But it does prove Lou’s material could be reinterpreted in a completely different genre (Bobby Rush’s “Sally Can’t Dance”).
Like Keith Richards, others are suited to a Lou Reed reading but no one does it better than Rickie Lee Jones (“Walk On the Wild Side”). Rickie’s is one of the best pieces on this album. It has a Tom Waits-type piano & Rickie is superb.
Followed by the glorious 7-minute Mary Gauthier cover of “Coney Island Baby.” What a thrilling performance from an unlikely artist. It comes again with Rosanne Cash’s “Magician” with its Hitchcockian-suspense arrangement.
Highlights – “Waiting For My Man,” “I Can’t Stand It,” “Walk On the Wild Side,” “I Love You, Suzanne,” “Coney Island Baby,” “New Sensations” & “Magician.”
CD @ https://lightintheattic.net/products/the-power-of-the-heart-a-tribute-to-lou-reed-rsd-2024-world-exclusive & https://loureed.bandcamp.com/album/the-power-of-the-heart-a-tribute-to-lou-reed