Baby, This Time It's Surreal: Southside Johnny Meets Tom Waits

If you saw this: "An animated movie about a rat that wants to be a gourmet chef," would you think, "Blockbuster! We'll get Peter O'Toole?'" I don't know about you, but I liked "Ratatouille." A lot! It made over $200,000,000!

Try this on for size, "White, R&B singer from the Jersey Shore does big band tribute to Tom Waits." No takers? Didn't think so. Fools, you all!

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you one of the freshest recordings of the year, "GRAPEFRUIT MOON: THE SONGS OF TOM WAITS," from Southside Johnny. On paper, it makes about as much sense as...well...the plans for "Ratatouille." But someone knew what they were doing. And that someone is Richie Rosenberg, better known as La Bamba from the Conan O'Brien show.

Sure, you've got the material. Waits is no slouch in the songwriting department. But to feel this music the way La Bamba feels it, is no easy task. Southside Johnny does a fine job interpreting the tin pan alley words and melodies of the great Tom Waits. But the real star is Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, whose arrangements evoke the brilliance of such orchestrators as Oliver Nelson, Billy May, and Nelson Riddle.

"Down Down Down" becomes a kick-ass jitterbug and "All The Time In The World" sends you speeding through the Riviera, looking for Blofeld. "Johnsburg, Illinois," one of my fave Waits tunes, clocks in at less than 2 minutes on "Swordfishtrombones." It's a tad longer here, but after one listen, you are ready to kick a can down some boulevard in the rain, wondering just why she did you wrong. Every song will either put you in a Billy Wilder film or some saloon. I won't dare bring up such sacred cows as "Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely," ---ok I lied, I just did---but, that was then, and this is now. And "Grapefruit Moon" is that good.

Back when there was still hope, this record would sell in the millions, and Andy Williams would be poised to exclaim, "And the winner for Contemporary Jazz Album is..." and Richie & Johnny would get to hobnob with, oh I dunno...G-Unit and Taylor Swift.

I admit, I went into this room with eyes a'rollin'! Now that I am here, I don't want to get out.

Comments

[kit50]

well since I am a Jersey Girl as well as a Tom Waits admirer I will have to get a copy of this--you certainly made it sound worthwhile
on a different note and at the risk of using this area as a personal stomping ground....­..........­.......
Didn't I just run into you and your significant other at "Cry Baby"?
Yes Sal--it's me........­..........­....Kit :)

[Nunziato]

Hiya Kit. I was trying to keep the fact that I saw that miserable musical a secret, Thanks for outing me!

:)

[hpunch]

Are you saying it's better than Scarlet Johansson's record? When I heard about this coming out I thought it may have been an Onion headline, but now you have me interested in hearing it. And thanks for teaching me the name on La Bamba's birth certificate. I'll do much better on my next Conan O'Brien Show trivia contest.

[MoMan]

Southside Johnny is and always has been one of the greatest underrated
and under appreciated artists, rockers, singers, musicians of his generation..
his album "Better Days, made with Little Steven, is one of the top 10 of the 90's...
why it didn't sell millions is a music mystery..
this one is a treat!

[booktone]

Great album....Performing Songwriter magazine has a good review of it too:

http://www.performingsongwriter.com/pages/music/112_CDReviews.cfm

[addisonsteele]

This is the record that Southside should have recorded since he covered New Coat of Paint years ago. Of course, when I saw that it was Richie's "big band" I expected a few more horns, maybe twice the number as the Jukes. I was overwhelmed by the lush sound of the BIG band. Kudos to Richie for the magnificent arrangements.

[Nunziato]

Thanks, RJ. No on both. But how about "Shiver Me Timbers" and "Please Call Me Baby?" Good stuff.

[RJ Eskow - Huffpost Blogger]

Good blog post title!

Does he do "Hold On' or "Jersey Girl"? I'd love to hear Johnny tackle either one.