Van Dyke Parks // Songs Cycled
VdP celebrates his 70th birthday in some (not entirely convincing) style.
Van Dyke Parks // Songs Cycled
Bella Union, Released 6th May 2013
Whilst releasing occasional solo albums, Van Dyke Parks has worked with the Beach Boys, Springsteen, Rufus Wainwright and Joanna Newsome. He released his semi-legendary debut “Song Cycle” 45 years ago. Now, in his seventieth year, comes “Song Cycled”.
This album mixes American roots music with what are best described as show tunes. Please keep this quiet, whilst most of my music collection is at the noisier end of the scale, with occasional forays into folk and “world”, I have a strange liking for show tunes and musicals.
At its best, as on the original "Black Gold” or the Saint-Saens piece "Aquarium” (originally from 1886), this could be from the best Tim Burton score ever. Unfortunately, at other times it sounds like demos for a show destined for a short and not entirely happy run off Broadway. "Sassafras” may be saucy but it is weak. “Missin’ Missippi” ain’t any better.
Given the rapturous reviews this has got elsewhere, maybe I’ve missed the point. The musicianship can’t be faulted, nor can the arrangements but some of the songs are simply not good enough. Ultimately, the biggest let down may be VdP’s voice itself. Weedy and reedy, this may have been better if VdP had stuck the arranging and brought in a bunch of guest vocalists.
Pavlis
5/10
