Irving Berlin-Some Tender Ballads: Early in his career, Irving Berlin made his reputation with up-tempo numbers like " Alexander's Ragtime Band" " I Love A Piano" " " Shaking The Blues Away" (already featured earler on this blog ) ' Putting On The Ritz" etc. However, given his effortless versatility, Berlin also fashioned some very tender and compelling ballads.
" How Deep Is The Ocean" is a superb example of what can be accomplished within the confines of a popular song as it poses an imponderable question.
It is sung with the appropriate emotional solemnity by Ann Hampton Callaway, a polished cabaret performer who honours the depth of Irving Berlin's own lyrics. She makes you believe in the despair so evident in the lyrics and yet they never become maudlin or over stated.
PERFORMANCE LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hJtquj1FNk
An equally evocative ballad is " What I'll do ?" It is one of a number of songs that deal with the emotional consequences of a romantic break up. It starts with a verse that introduces the matter of something that has ended . The main refrain then asks a series of questions that try to answer how the partners will deal with that now irrevocable fact. Linda Ronstadt, a former rock/pop performer had teamed up with the great Nelson Riddle to gravitate to more adult songs form the Geat American Songbook. She was able also to introduce her more youthful fans to a more lasting repertoire than a Motown song like " Heat Wave." Riddle provides a cushion of delicate strings and instrumental solo excerpts from brass and woodwinds.
PERFORMANCE LINK
http://youtu.be/8B1oIcTh604:
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