Moments From My Life

by

Melanie

Edit

If you liked the unique musical production Melanie's son Beau-Jarred brought to her latest studio album, Crazy Love, you'll love this. Here, Melanie offers her unique interpretations of classics like "As Tears Go By," "I Will Survive," "Those Were the Days," and "We've Got Tonight." This record shows that she is not just a great songwriter and singer of her own songs, but an artist who makes any song she embraces her own. It's interesting to think how these songs would have sounded if Melanie recorded them years ago. They would have sounded great then, no doubt, but her life experiences have brought deeper maturity to her music. Today she can sing "I Will Surivive" and sound like someone who has survived -- because she is. That's what makes her music even more relevant today than ever. Play this album and Crazy Love and you'll hear a 60's artist who has matured and grown with the times and is at the top of her game.

When I first stumbled upon this release, I was really jazzed...one of the strongest, most unique singer/songwriters of the last 35 years covering songs that had moved, impressed or influenced her...how could such a cool concept fail? Sad to say, much of MOMENTS FROM MY LIFE does, indeed, miss the mark. Not nearly as good as 2003's excellent CRAZY LOVE, and only marginally better than last year's disappointing PALED BY A DIMMER LIGHT, this 2002 release is loaded with overwrought vocals and musical miscalculations that fail more often than they succeed (In all honesty, if it was possible to award half stars, I probably would have given the disc two and a half). Things kick off with Mr. Mister's "Broken Wing." A tasteful jazzy/folk mix, Melanie's vocals sail over the pulsating bassline and twinkling guitar. It's not until the African chorus comes in halfway thru the song that you realize things have taken a 180 degree turn. By song's end, the track seems overproduced and busy. Sadly, the missteps continue with "Tracks Of My Tears." This is a song that Melanie should have NAILED and, in most cases, would have. However, this version is just underwhelming... the resignation, hurt and pain that is at the core of this gorgeous classic is barely present, replaced by a bored passivity. A delicate, encrossing arrangement is also marred by an extra warbly vocal. Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" is honest and unaffected, but certainly could have been edited down by a full minute, while Kansas' "Dust In The Wind" is the first major misfire...the pseudo-flamenco arrangement comes across as almost pretencious, while Melanie's vocal is flat and devoid of any bite (Once again, the song goes on WAY too long). Next up is the disc's biggest white elephant...Culture Club's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me." The song itself has not stood the test of time, while the segue from smokey jazz club intro to Appalachian front porch toe tapper is one of the biggest production miscalculations I've heard in my 35+ years of musical fandom. It's not very often I'm this critical of someone's art or talent, but this track is truly dreadful. Things rebound on a strong note, though, with the hypnotic "Ain't No Sunshine" and the powerful "I Will Survive." Unlike "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me", "I Will Survive" has managed to hold it's own over the years and, in this case, even improve. Melanie strips the song of it's disco beat and allows the words to tell their story, while her beautiful, heartfelt vocal is full of strength, awareness and knowledge. She absolutely captures this cut...awesome! Things continue on the right track with "To Love Somebody", which is just dripping in emotion, and "You Keep Me Hanging On." True, I would have preferred the latter to have a bit more of an edge and a little more spunk (after all, this is from a woman who recorded a song called "Spunky!")...it's subdued acoustic arrangement borders on lethargic, costing the song some of it's immediacy (Something more upbeat and energetic, along the lines of her excellent version of "Knock On Wood" from the late 70's, would have been more like it!). Still, Melanie's vocal is honest and unaffected, and the song ultimately proves to be a good match for her. "Free The People" is a nice, strong album track, with hints of bluegrass. "We've Got Tonight" is delivered in muted shades of hopefulness, tenderness and just the smallest pinch of coyness (Special note has to be made in regard to the gorgeous guitar work, both acoustic and electric, which perfectly accents Safka's controlled vocal). Another high point. I would have loved to have heard "I'll Never Find Another You" done a cappella....Melanie would have aced it. As it is, the quiet arrangement is nice enough. The disc wraps things up with a hit and a miss, the miss being an ultimately unsatisfying dance version of "Come Softly To Me." What is it nowadays with all these aging chanteuses - Cher and Cyndi Lauper (among others!) instantly come to mind! - who are trying to reinvent themselves as dance divas?!? A lighter, airier version, closer to the breathy innocence of the original, would have worked much better. Another major misstep. The hit is "Those Were The Days", which captures all of the pain, regret and resignation that is at the core of this classic. Melanie delivers the cut with equal parts sadness, wistfulness and wiseness. By the end of the song, you ARE in a small European tavern, eavesdropping on this woman as she tries to convince her friends - and herself - to look on the bright side...they've learned some hard won lessons, they still have their memories and, heck, they're still here to toast each other! So...my ultimate advice on MOMENTS FROM MY LIFE? If you're a die hard Melanie fan, pick it up...there are a few real gems that make it worth having in your collection. Everyone else? Pick up the far superior CRAZY LOVE (also reviewed elsewhere!).