Liz Callaway - The Beat Goes On

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Music reviews of The Beat Goes On

Music Review: Callaway tackles the 60s
Rating: 4 Stars

I've heard her work in musical theatre and in other solo recordings and while this is a lovely attempt to tackle the Pop medium and wrap her solid voice around something other than showtunes, it's only partially successful because Callaway seems more comfortable with the ballad-like message songs than with the up-tempo pop ditties of the period.

Her rendition of "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" is magically poignant, as she works the repetition in the lyrics and melody into an almost hypnotic anti-war message. She soars through "Didn't We/McArthur Park" with a depth usually not associated with these songs. The tempos and arrangements, while not always even on this recording, work magic by slowing down the often annoying tempo of "Didn't We" and somehow making it sadder than usual. Also, Callaway sings the lovelier song within a song in Jimmy Webb's complex "McArthur Park" and avoids the cliché ridden chorus about the cake and the rain.(Dionne Warwick also did this in her 60s lp "Valley of the Dolls" to great success.) The result is lovely and one of the most moving moments on the CD.

But the definitive tear-jerker comes totally from left field. Callaway embraces "Leavin' on A Jet Plane" with a subtle nuance of regret mixed with love and longing that makes the song work on more levels than I've ever heard before. This track is the definitive highlight of the entire venture.

If only Callaway were so successful with the up-tempo Pop hits on this CD, which totally seem to escape her interpretive grasp. "Wedding Bell Blues", "Downtown", "Up Up and Away", "When I'm Sixty-Four" and particularly "Wouldn't It Be Nice" seem completely out of place and out of genre for this talented ballad singer. Without solid lyrics she struggles to get her point across. And some of these popular tunes, while hummable and great radio hits, have almost no lyric-depth to them.

It's only when she has strong lyrics, especially concerning love/relationships, that Callaway truly shines on this CD.

Broadway & Vocalists CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop