CBS NEWS/ September 20, 2013, 8:41 AM
DAVID CHIU /
Rock and pop artists grace "Boardwalk
Empire"
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57603485/rock-and-pop-artists-grace-boardwalk-empire-soundtrack/
The idea
of contemporary singers recording popular standards is nothing new. Artists
such as Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Glenn Frey and Smokey
Robinson have tackled that old-fashioned romantic sound in a departure from
their usual rock and pop music roots. But lately there have also been
modern-day artists specifically recreating the jazz sounds of the 1920s
Prohibition era -- the most recent being British rock singer Bryan Ferry's
"The Jazz Age," an album of solo and Roxy Music songs reworked with
an orchestra.
That is also certainly true of the of music that is featured on
the newly released"Boardwalk Empire Volume 2:
Music From The HBO Original Series" (ABKCO),
the follow-up to 2011's "Volume 1." This latest collection features
mostly rock and pop artists paired with the fabulous Vince Giordano and his
Nighthawks on songs of the period depicted in the hit
show, which just had
its season four premiereearlier
this month.
Longtime fans of some of the rock artists on this new soundtrack may be
surprised to hear their heroes in this light but ultimately pleased by them as
well. There's David Johansen of legendary '70s punk group New York Dolls
singing with gusto (and evoking a little bit of Louis Armstrong) on the big
band stomp of "Strut Miss Lizzie"; punk poet Patti Smith does a very
soulful rendition of "I Ain't Got Nobody"; and the National's Matt
Berlinger -- known for his band's moody alternative rock music -- shows perhaps
somewhat of uncharacteristic romantic side in the straightforward "I'll
See You in My Dreams."
No
stranger when it comes to performing romantic-sounding ballads (having
previously duetted with Tony Bennett), rocker Elvis Costello handles the
popular standard, "It Had to Be You." Meanwhile, St. Vincent and Neko
Case deliver elegant and soulful performances of "Make Believe" and
"Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out," respectively.
"Volume
2" doesn't entirely consist of modern-day rock acts. Liza Minnelli gives a
brash, no-nonsense treatment of "You've Got To See Mama Every Night (Or
You Can't See Mama at All)." And two of the actresses featured in the
series, Kathy Brier and Margot Bingham, offer their musical contributions: the
former on "There'll Be Some Changes Made" and the latter on
"Somebody Loves Me."
Based on
the performances from these contemporary artists, this soundtr
