LOREZ ALEXANDRIA / “Baltimore Oriole” (4Hero Remix)
Life:Styles is a series of compilations from the UK label Harmless in which top DJs and producers are invited to compile their favorite classic and should-have-been classic tracks from yesteryear. I haven’t gotten a chance to check out the rest of the series (I think they’re up to Volume 6 now), but the debut collection, featuring selections by British drum ‘n bass and remix auteurs 4Hero, is a stunner.
What makes the compilation so good isn’t just that 4Hero has impeccable taste in music (which they do) but also and moreso that the 2CD package includes a bonus CD of remixes. These aren’t radical remixes that turn ballads into house songs or reggae songs into hardcore jungle. Instead, what 4Hero does here is much more subtle. Some songs are virtually identical except that they sound better mixed and produced—cleaner, tighter and harder, with more of an impact. For others, 4Hero digs into their bag of tricks, adding and removing basslines, drum tracks or other key instrumentation. Throughout though there’s an obvious respect for the source material. If you know and love any of these originals, you’ll almost undoubtedly enjoy the remix too. 4Hero’s selections are varied and eclectic—I doubt if even hardcore crate diggers will recognize all of the tunes, but my favorite three tracks from the compilation have a lot in common. All three are funk-laden love songs fronted by strong female vocalists. On to the music….
Lorez Alexandria (née Delorez Alexandria Turner) isn’t exactly a household name, but among those in the know, she’s a highly respected jazz vocalist with over 20 albums to her credit. Listening to the feature selection, it’s obvious that Lorez is just as comfortable singing soul or funk; her delivery is as every bit as hot as that unbelievable bassline. (Which was originally played by Jimmy Garrison, of all people!) 4Hero brings the bass much more forward in the mix, but it’s there on the original too. The drums, though, are all new. Essentially, 4Hero is using a slowed-down version of the prototypical drum ‘n bass rhythm pattern. One of the reason it sounds so funky is because the pattern is itself derived from a sped-up version of a funky gospel number. (All of which we detailed last week.) As for the lyrics, which were composed by Hoagy Charmichael way back in the ‘30s, they detail an almost-romance between a ‘two-timing blackbird’ and a pretty young oriole from Baltimore. I’m not sure I follow the story exactly, but apparently there’s a triangle-type thing going on. You know what the say: ‘The bees do it, the birds do it….’ Eventually, ‘The Divine Miss O’ (as Lorez calls her) tires of ol’ Blackbird’s games and flies off for bluer skies.
Speaking of vocalists who are just as comfortable performing outside of the jazz arena as in deep, deep within it, next up is ‘The Divine Miss W,’ BKA Nancy Wilson. Her track “Sunshine” hits nearly as hard as Lorez’ but is a bit more involved in terms of arrangement and instrumentation. Also note that the lyrics are written in the unusual ABAB format. (As opposed to AABA AABB like 99% of pop tunes.) As in the case of “Baltimore Oriole,” I was giving 4Hero credit for having funked up a jazzy-sounding record, but I was wrong. A listen to the original reveals virtually identical-sounding accompaniment, including those almost rhythmic keyboard stabs. Apparently, jazz singers were doing the damn thing back in the Seventies (like everyone else, it seems). Don’t miss Miss W’s gender-bending scat job midway through the song. The first time I heard it, a thought there was a guest vocalist on the track.
The last tune is the most familiar, only not in this version. The original is from Stevie Wonder’s 1972 LP Music Of My Mind. That same year, Stevie wrote and produced most of Syreeta’s debut album…the man was on the front-side of perhaps the most prolific stretch of classic R&B composing and playing in the history of R&B composing and playing itself. (Between 1972 and 1974, Stevie dropped four LPs of superlative material and somehow still found time for side projects. My question: did he get any sleep at all?) The tune is “I Love Every Little Thing About You” and Stevie’s famous version is a gently swinging bit of mellow funk.
For Syreeta, who Stevie was married to at the time, Stevie cooked up something with a bit of a hard edge. The new funk has more snap and bite. For the remix, 4Hero enhanced the already-existing hardness nicely, using a bass-heavy keyboard riff to add a touch of menace. Syreeta’s delivery suits 4Hero’s sound well (or is that the other way around?). The lyrics are the same, but instead of sounding heartfelt and sincere as sung by Stevie, Syreeta’s version sounds elusive and mischievous. She’s promising, sure, but don’t go getting all comfortable and satisfied with yourself. As in the close-out of the first chorus, when she asks, “Whatcha gon’ do about that, brother?” Stevie answers: “Nothing.”
Tracks:
Lorez Alexandria - “Baltimore Oriole” (4Hero Remix) from Life:Styles
My selection from this 4Hero collection is “Butterfly,” a brilliant Herbie Hancock compisition featuring Japanese vocalist Kimiko Kasai. Check the band: Herbie Hancock (bv, Rhodes ep, Prophet, Yamaha CS-80, mini-moog, Arp string ensemble syn, Clavinet & Sennheiser vocoder), Webster Lewis (Hammond B-3 organ, Rhodes p, Yamaha CS-40, Prophet, mini-moog & Arp string ensemble syn), Alphonse Mouzon (ds), Paul Jackson (b), Ray Obiedo (g), Bill Summers (perc), and Bennie Maupin (ss & ts). This is from Kimiko’s hard-to-find 1979 release Butterfly. It took me about three months to track down this CD, but thanks to 4Hero’s tip, I eventually found it. And that is the North Star of 4Hero’s trek through the roots of Soul music—they take the underground route and dig deep for overlooked gems which they use as compass to guide us forward into the future. And to think, these cats are Black British; they ain’t even born here.
—Kalamu ya Salaam
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 19th, 2006 at 2:35 am and is filed under Contemporary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to “LOREZ ALEXANDRIA / “Baltimore Oriole” (4Hero Remix)”
March 19th, 2006 at 4:03 am
Um, that Kamiko Kasai version of Butterfly suffers from bad vocals and the fact that someone’s buried or removed Bennie Maupin’s part in an excellent tune from 70’s Hancock. Her singing became unlistenable after a minute, the lyrics unnecessary.
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