Stuart Anthony & Larry Beckett – Though We Have Only Love: The Songs of Jacques Brel
This is a tribute to the Belgian singer Jacques Brel & a 5th effort by acclaimed poet & songwriter Larry Beckett. The 14 reimagined songs allow Brel’s chansons to be in a more mainstream, alt-rock style that remains faithful to the originals. Though We Have Only Love: The Songs of Jacques Brel (Drops Jan 9/Orchard-Sony/66:11) teams Mr. Beckett with collaborator Stuart Anthony (vocals/electric guitar/12 string acoustic guitar/bass).
Produced by Paul Walmsley with the Brel songs translated into English by Mr. Beckett (vocals/recitations/piano), who does an admirable job with the 2 recitations (“I Love You” & “Juliet”). He doesn’t possess the distinctive voice of Ken Nordine, but this isn’t a setback, since Larry understands the work.
He sings one powerful song (“I Don’t Know”). A good late-night favorite for a DJ since many melancholy insomniacs may enjoy an overcast sky melody. Is it depressing? No. It’s beautifully plaintive. Larry lays down an effective voice. Brel wasn’t always dark, but this conveys an intuition unadorned in a Brecht-Weill framework.
The majority of songs are sung by Mr. Anthony, with “Song of the Old Lovers” captured well with tender piano & accompaniment. A nostalgic melody typical of Mr. Brel — not content to reach the heart with his music but touch it with his breath. Since Stuart isn’t a singer with the great range & tonality of Mr. Brel, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, Alfie Zappacosta, Adriano Celentano, or even Steve Lawrence, some singing may come across as awkward due to his phrasing. The many syllables in the English lyrics don’t help. But some of the blame may be Brel’s – since he also squeezed much into his compositions.
“I Loved” is tenderly sung, but the intonation & sincerity are sterile. While the song has a pinch of vocal awkwardness, it is lovely with its carnival tempo & romantic nuance. In the end, Mr. Anthony convinces. A good ballad singer would know where to edit & add the proper timbre with the phrasing. But I can’t slight Stuart. He does get words right more often than not & never embellishes. On “Don’t Walk Away,” there are too many hard Rs in the lyric (“dirt,” “words,” “hearts,” “story”) & he doesn’t polish the rough edge off the hard consonant as he sings. Paul McCartney sang “Yesterday” as ”yesta-day,” which, in vocalizing, is proper.
“Tenderness” is well conceived. Stuart’s best vocal is evident on the poetic “This Isle.” However, vocally, “Madeleine” is too late-career Leonard Cohen, & while the songs do lose their Euro-musical flavor in translation, it’s not a deterrent to this set.
Highlights – “Song of the Old Lovers,” “I Don’t Know,” “Tenderness,” “This Isle,” & “I Loved.”
Musicians – Matt Canty (bass), James Edge (piano/synths/organs/flute) & Mike Hodgkins (drums).
A stitched lyric-insert is included. Color image of the duo from their Bandcamp site. CD @ Bandcamp + https://stuartanthony.wixsite.com/stuartanthony & https://www.larrybeckettpoet.com/