Lea Delaria - Double Standards

Dec

30

Lea Delaria - Double Standards

≡ Category: 2000s, Post Bop, Recommended, Vocals |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Rating:

Usually, I’m not terribly impressed by jazz vocalists, and Lea Delaria isn’t even one, strictly speaking. She makes her living as a lesbian comic and cabaret star.

So why am I even writing about her CD Double Standards? Well, Double Standards consists of covers of modern pop songs, which actually doesn’t sound like good news, as anyone who has suffered through Tony Bennett’s version of Smells Like Teen Spirit could tell you, but Lea Delaria and the musicians on Double Standards actually understand and like these tunes, and that makes all the difference in the world.

And the musicians aren’t second rate schmucks who got stuck backing a cabaret singer because they can’t play, either. You’ve got estimable pros like Gil Goldstein on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums. Gil Goldstein also does some of the arrangements too, and he was arranging Michael Brecker’s Wide Angles around this time, which he won a much deserved Grammy for.

Lea Delaria herself doesn’t attempt any vocal fireworks on the order of a Betty Carter, and she doesn’t need to. Her husky voice works fine for these tunes, and as a stage performer, she knows how to sell them.

Somehow, these musicians find ways to turn tunes like Blondie’s Call Me, Jane’s Addiction’s Been Caught Stealing, and Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun into unlikely but sophisticated lounge jazz.

And that’s really the draw here, to hear how some very bright and talented people have translated some good modern pop tunes into jazz and not made fools of themselves in the process. Every time I pop Double Standards into my CD changer, I’m surprised and amused at the creativity of the team of musicians behind this release.

Now, is that reason enough to buy Double Standards? That’s kind of a judgement call. I mean, I wouldn’t listen to these tunes and say, “That was really great!” It would be more like “Wow, I can’t believe they turned that tune into a torch song!” If I went to a club and Lea Delaria was singing with this band, I would have a good time.

Unfortunately, there is no widget for Double Standards, but I’ve substituted Live Smoke Sessions, which will give you a good idea of how Lea Delaria sounds like.