Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind
Strangely lilting version of "Rhiannon" by Didi Benami on American Idol, like she's dancing carefree on icicles, very audacious to give it a different mood. Then in the last ten seconds she finds her way to what was haunting in the original.
Then she is the darkness: The Fleetwood Mac hit was essentially hard rock, even though it's played soft, and there's a coiled rage in Stevie that works very well by staying coiled. Here from 1976 is a terrific live version by FM that is the opposite: they take it too fast at the start, are a bit scraggly through the song per se; then, two-thirds of the way through, they go into a stunning rave-up where the snake uncoils and Stevie blisters her way like Grace Slick or Patti Smith but better. (Yes, I've embedded this before.)
Fleetwood Mac "Rhiannon"
Only dipped a little into American Idol this week, just this and the Bowersox and the Magnus. (Bowersox was masterful, striding through a Tracy Chapman blues while giving the impression of having wind held in reserve, totally at her command; don't see how she doesn't win it all unless she gets sick again, but me, getting a little restless... well, Kara gave us the usual platitude, "this is what we talk about when people know who they are," and I was wishing I was sitting in Simon's spot so I could say, "Yeah, well, Kelly Clarkson doesn't know who she is, and Elvis Presley never knew who he was, and Kara here doesn't have a clue who she is and wouldn't be as interesting if she did, but yes, it was a beautiful performance, always a pleasure etc.")
So, anything else of note on this week's AI?
h/t Jimmy Draper.
Click to viewThen she is the darkness: The Fleetwood Mac hit was essentially hard rock, even though it's played soft, and there's a coiled rage in Stevie that works very well by staying coiled. Here from 1976 is a terrific live version by FM that is the opposite: they take it too fast at the start, are a bit scraggly through the song per se; then, two-thirds of the way through, they go into a stunning rave-up where the snake uncoils and Stevie blisters her way like Grace Slick or Patti Smith but better. (Yes, I've embedded this before.)
Fleetwood Mac "Rhiannon"
Only dipped a little into American Idol this week, just this and the Bowersox and the Magnus. (Bowersox was masterful, striding through a Tracy Chapman blues while giving the impression of having wind held in reserve, totally at her command; don't see how she doesn't win it all unless she gets sick again, but me, getting a little restless... well, Kara gave us the usual platitude, "this is what we talk about when people know who they are," and I was wishing I was sitting in Simon's spot so I could say, "Yeah, well, Kelly Clarkson doesn't know who she is, and Elvis Presley never knew who he was, and Kara here doesn't have a clue who she is and wouldn't be as interesting if she did, but yes, it was a beautiful performance, always a pleasure etc.")
So, anything else of note on this week's AI?
h/t Jimmy Draper.