#has-beens

Rudy Giuliani Says President Obama Doesn’t Love America

How far the mighty have fallen

…and honestly, how far can you trust a man with a 50-year history of rockin’ it live as an arbiter of sound quality? If your nose is twitching to the pulse of marketing BS, there’s probably a reason for that…

Further reading…

‘Expendables 3’ Cast Requests To Be Paid In Steroids, Meat

I have never ‘gotten’ Wanda Jackson.  Yes, I had tattooed greaser friends who were wildly dedicated to her, I have read stories about her seen the trail of accolades in her wake (albeit those of an older, rockabilly type).  All I know is that aside from Betty Page, younger folks pining for an older time, will probably namedrop Wanda Jackson.  Most places that sell kitschy 50’s era stuff and tiki torches will probably have something of Wanda laying around too.

I have been pummeled with critics’ reviews and friends’ recommendations to get in to this album.  I gave in, and I tried.  I really tried.  I went in to it with an open mind…

This is the new improved Wanda Jackson! New production and effects have definitely added a new dimension to Mrs. Jackson. This is the Queen of Rockabilly for the iPhone generation.  This is Wanda Jackson scrubbed, pulled and expanded to suit new and modern tastes.

First impressions are the biggest and most important, right?  Well, the opening track sure set the tone for me.  Wow!  That vast production, good-time horns…but wait, what is that?  This already reeks of someone else’s cologne. Yes…that guitar.  I know who it is. Uh oh. I get the feeling that this woman is being overpowered by all the studio gimmickry and already fighting for presence among the new, improved sound.  By this point I realized what she was singing, “Shakin’ All Over”.  I shook my head and winced.  How can I take this seriously after the Who put maximum muscle on this tune already?  This is a joke compared to that…and their version is almost as old as she is!

I plundered on in hopes of redemption.  ‘Rip It Up’.  Who hasn’t had their hands all over this tune?  Three songs into it and one thing is becoming crystal clear.  The carnival sounding brass and cocktail time sprinklings cannot hide the fact that this is how a younger fella thinks Wanda should sound.  Echoes, delays, distorted vocals…but is this the same Wanda Jackson I am thinking of? 

Another cover, ‘Busted’ and someone has already done it better, in this case, Nazareth.

I understand the concept; Jack White wants to bring one of his old heroines to the attention of the younger kids.  It is an admirable attempt, do an album of covers and breathe new life into the famous Rockabilly Queen.  What I do not get though; is this about Wanda Jackson or Jack White?  If it is about Wanda Jackson and upping her career a bit and getting a new audience for her, then the question must be asked, ‘Why not provide her the platform on which she can perform best on, and let her loose.  Let the people know Wanda for what Wanda does.  However, it appears this is not the case.  I can assure you that even in her most gritty rockbillying, she never had guitars like this and effects thrown in the mix to be ‘modern’.  I would argue, in fact, that Rockabilly was never about ‘modern’, but more about the true essence of a certain musical style. Listening to her debut and then this…something has gone horribly wrong.

Yes, it is nice and adds a different dimension to her sound hearing it with the latest and greatest production, and some of the embellishments actually do add a nice touch.  At the same time though, it seems as if she is fighting Jack’s idea of how she should sound…instead of how Wanda sounds!  To be brutally honest, at times it sounds a bit odd; hearing a 70+-year-old women amidst all of the concoction White has thrown in.  There have been other artists who made their comebacks by doing cover albums, and have done it better.  Johnny Cash comes to mind.  He worked with a young hot producer (Rick Rubin).  The difference is, Rubin accentuated and complimented Cash’s sound.  This album just smells all over of Jack White’s cheap cologne.  This is basically just the White Stripes with an old woman singing.  Honestly, it doesn’t work.

Having said all that, there are some really enjoyable tunes on here.  I was shocked at how much I did actually enjoy “Rum and Coca-Cola”.  The pairing of Wanda with the other girls singing back up makes for some very nice harmonies indeed (could do without the silly, echo-laden effects wankery though) 

One case where White’s insistence of his vision of Wanda is that works perfect, is “Teach Me Tonight” No denying, this swaying lullaby is s superb remake.  If only the whole album had been done as tastefully as this tune, it would be a powerhouse.  This is just a wonderful tune, period.