Would go out and buy Molly Johnson's Lucky. The title track alone is guaranteed to brighten today and every Monday. Who knows--it might even cure road rage, the economic blues, and the surfeit of hockey.
Warning: the video below is a bit shaky, so don't watch if you have issues with motion sickness.
The CD has a few misses, notably an uptempo version of "Mean to Me" in which the sparkly music doesn't welcome the black-and-blue lyrics. I'm also not nuts about the Westminster Chime intro (the three-quarter-hour version, for those who are into that) to "If I had a Bell" but once she's in it, she sells it.
Molly Johnson layers meaning deep into the classics and makes you hear them in a whole new way. "Ode to Billy Joe" becomes more than the cliche of young doomed love--she makes it sexy and mysterious and tragic. In "I Loves You Porgy," her Bess goes beyond self-indulgent to show the honesty and self-deception of a woman who can't resist what's bad for her. "Lush Life," which I have thought of as "theme and variations on feeling jaded," becomes rueful and honest.
So go buy it. Or, because it's possible these days, buy at least the charming title track. Her official website, with ordering information and more background (including her bio) is here.
Because the whole damn world should be as lucky as I am!
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A U.S. writer living in Canada examines borders, boundaries, and other invisible (though not imaginary) lines.
