‘The art that conceals art’ is the concept that somebody gets so good at what they do that their expertise is hidden and it seems simple to anybody else. An example is this CD.
I love joining in with doo-wop music, especially unaccompanied as here, and eventually start thinking ‘I can do this, I could have been a Persuasion’. Then they cruelly show up my delusions for what they are. It might be the way Joe Russell controls the fire on ‘Steal Away’, a perfect balance between passion and restraint. Or the sense of style Jayotis Washington brings to Percy Mayfield’s gorgeous ‘Please Send Me Someone To Love’, cooler than a penguin’s butt. It could be the innovation they bring to songs I thought were already too much associated with dead singers and stale genres. Who wants to hear another version of ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’? It’s been more exploited than the Amazonian rainforest. But the Persuasions make it sound fresh, capable of making me feel something again. Nearly an hour of moments like these remind me why these men are in the Persuasions and I work in a library.
While the repertoire here is material they obviously feel comfortable with, don’t think they always play it safe. Which other doo-wop groups have recorded albums of songs by the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa? But if they went out on a limb with those, here they stick closer to the tree-trunk. Wes Phillips’ sleevenote says “To amuse themselves on the road, they sing old favorites: songs they perform in their shows, their own versions of songs of the day, and, of course, the good old stuff they’ve known since they were kids”. And they wear the good old stuff like a pet pair of slippers.
Paul Anka’s ‘She’s A Lady’, Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, Otis Redding’s ‘Dock Of The Bay’ (a duet between Jerry Lawson and Jim Hayes), the Four Tops’ ‘When She Was My Girl’ and Brook Benton’s ‘Rainy Night In Georgia’ all get given the Persuasions’ kiss of life (although some needed it more than others). Jerry Lawson’s notes say “Elvis was a big influence. I thought he was a hell of a fine singer – and I think we do him pretty good”. On the basis of ‘Don’t’, ‘Good Luck Charm’ (with a new bridge added) and Jim Hayes’ stunning take on ‘In The Ghetto’, I think they do him pretty good too.
Chesky’s (www.chesky.com) sound and packaging are excellent (lyrics included) and for a Persuasions CD the playing time is unusually generous.
It’s a lovely album to relax with and a great one to sing along to, if you don’t take your aspirations to be the sixth Persuasion too seriously.
Buy this CD NOW:
Your purchase through the Amazon.com links at the end of each review, or by simply clicking on this banner (below) to order this or many other products from Amazon, helps to support this website as well as the featured blues artist.
"This review is copyright © 2004 by Steve Mainwaring, and Blues On Stage at: www.mnblues.com, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without permission."
Copyright reuse notice: If you would like to reprint or use this review please include the above copyright notice, contained within the quotation marks, PLUS this statement: "Used with permission." Then send an email to Ray at: mnblues@aol.com indicating how you are using the review or the website page address it will be appearing on. Thanks!
Your purchase through the Amazon.com links at the end of each review, or by simply clicking on this banner (below) to order this or many other products from Amazon, helps to support this website as well as the featured blues artist.
Click on this banner to get you new low percent credit card:
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! You can help support this blues website by making a contribution (click on the banner below for details).
Or mail a donation to: Ray Stiles % Blues On Stage, PO Box 582983, Mpls, MN 55458. Thanks!
Web Hosting & Design:
CLICK HERE for Web Design SPECIAL, get your own website for just $75.
The most affordable web hosting and design services available. Click Here
to find out how you can host your current site at Blues On Stage, or how I can help you design your own website!
If you would like your CD reviewed, please send TWO (2) copies, along with promotional material to:
Blues On Stage
PO Box 582983
Minneapolis, MN 55458-2983
E-mail Ray Stiles @ mnblues@aol.com with any questions.
