Pantagruel's Full Review: Droppin' Things by Betty Carter
Although Betty Carter is not among my favorite jazz vocalists, I do find her originality refreshing. She usually takes a song, gives it a few twists and turns with her breathy voice, and releases it as a new entity. An example is the twelve-and-a-half minute medley "Stardust/Memories of You," with Geri Allen accompanying her on piano. It starts out painfully slow and does not really get going until halfway through, but when it does you'll be glad you stuck it out. Carter caresses the lyrics, treating each line as if she were interpreting a love letter, while Allen adds a couple of introspective solos.
Save for the medley with Geri Allen, Droppin' Things is a live 1990 date, recorded at New York City's The Bottom Line. Like the medley, the album begins slowly. The opening number "30 Years" is a song about a longtime relationship going through a rough period. It could be an allegory meant to show how long she's been in the biz, I suppose, but it is not the type of song to begin a live CD.
A better choice for an opener would have been either the updated version of her theme song, here entitled "Open the Door '90," which gives her backing trio a chance to stretch out over Carter's extended scat singing, or the title track, which explains how clumsy we can be upon meeting someone we really like (hence, "Droppin' Things"), set to a lickety-split rhythm. (All three of those numbers, by the way, were written by Carter; it's such a rarity to see vocalists write their own material.)
The second half of the album, featuring the title track, "I Love Music" and "Dull Day (in Chicago)" is where things start to jump. Here Carter is joined by Freddie Hubbard; his trumpet solos add fire to an already smoldering set.
"Music...satisfies my hunger/And beauty...pacifies my soul" she happily sings on Lerner and Lane's "I Love Music," which affirms her love for what she is doing. Another Lerner-Lane number, the ballad "Why Him," finds Carter interacting with the audience and drawing out a few chuckles from them as she teases along lines like "there's nothing bulging...in his...arms."
"I Love Music" sounds like an opportune album closer but it is not. Instead, the album closes with "Dull Day (In Chicago)," which is anything but. On this fast-paced Carter original, she scats for a few minutes before turning it over to her band and letting them launch into some juicy solos.
If you enjoy hearing new takes on standards, Betty Carter is the vocalist for you. It takes a while for Droppin' Things to get going, but it rewards the patient listener.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.