There
have been times when I have listened to a Jackie Evancho song or CD for the
first time, that I found myself at a loss for words. What could I possibly say
about Jackie’s prodigious talent that hasn’t already been said by a thousand
other fans and/or reviewers?
Other times - and this is one of them, having just listened to “Two Hearts” for the first time - I find myself overwhelmed - drowning in an ocean of feelings, memories, associations, haphazard thoughts, and half-formed ideas. On an intellectual level, I’m flailing desperately, searching for a touchstone.[1] On another level, I’m suffocating under the emotional heft of this amazing collection of songs. Honestly, I don’t know where to begin.
Therefore,
with apologies to all the real-life victims and survivors of recent natural
disasters around the world, think of me as a victim of a virtual earthquake or
tornado, buried under mounds of intellectual
and emotional rubble, attempting to dig myself out from the inside. Granted,
this is a fanciful conceit,[2]
but it allows a way for me to move forward, or upward, or outward, whatever,
without having to worry about logic, structure, continuity, or any other such
thing that a wannabe writer might otherwise worry about.[3]
The
first notion with which I am struggling is the very idea that this 2-CD set
represents the “two sides” of Jackie Evancho – namely, classical crossover vs.
pop.[4] The idea is pervasive - “Two Hearts,” Two Discs,
even Two Jackies:[5]
For
me, any attempt to boil down the complicated stew of songs that make up this
2-CD set into two distinct categories would constitute a gross injustice to
Jackie’s vocal artistry. [6] To be sure, there are at least three songs
that all would agree are good examples showcasing the classical crossover
style: “Caruso,” most famously sung
by the likes of Luciano Pavarotti , Andrea Bocelli, and Lara Fabian, “Attesa,” most famously sung by Sarah
Brightman, and the traditional hymn “How
Great Thou Art.” And the three songs that were previously released as
singles - “Safe and Sound,” “Writing’s On
the Wall,” and “Apocalypse” - were clearly not meant to be anything other
than popular songs.
That being said, though, how should we characterize
Jackie’s beautiful cover of “May It Be,”
as sung by Enya for the soundtrack of “Lord
of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings”? Calling it “new age” would be
woefully inadequate.
Or
what about a decidedly “pop” song like Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years,” when it is performed as a dramatic live duet,
in Italian, with tenor Fernando Varela? This performance was nothing short of
magical. Performances like this – especially when live - defy easy
categorizing. To my way of thinking, this song is “sui generis”- in a class by itself. It brought to mind another
magical moment in Jackie’s career: Her live “duet” of “Come What May,” with the Tenors, from the PBS special television
concert special “Music of the Movies.”
And
what of the four so-called “pop” songs for which Jackie shares writing credits:
“Sane,” “Pedestal,” “The Haunting,” and
“Wonderland?” Yes, I suppose you could call these “pop” songs, if they must
be labled, but they are so much more than just songs. These are intensely emotional, intensely personal, and
ultimately courageous explorations by Jackie of her innermost feelings. Anyone
who thinks Jackie is just a skilled mimic, a calculating actress, or an overly
dramatic story-teller need only listen to the lyrics of these four songs. Here
are just a few examples:[7]
From “Sane:”
From “Sane:”
“Thoughts
are crashing all around
Spilling
venom on the ground
As I hide
behind the curtain
Of this
unforgiving burden.”
From “Pedestal:”
“Picture me smiling sweet
Through
the fire that I weep
‘Cause
up here it’s hard to breathe
So
I fall down…”
From
“The Haunting:”
“How
long can we all survive
In
this pitch-black paradise
It’s you keeping me alive…”
It’s you keeping me alive…”
And
from “Wonderland:”
“I was floating
“I was floating
High
above an angry sea
The
mists below me
Upon
the stage that couldn’t be.”
Clearly, behind those captivating eyes and beguiling smile is a very complicated young lady, fearlessly sharing her feelings with all who are willing to listen. We owe it to her to honor her courage by listening – carefully.
Yet, then, in a totally different vein, turning back to the first CD in the set, we find “Have You Ever Been In Love.” [8] This song is presented by Jackie in a very uncharacteristic “breathless” voice, almost deliberately little-girlish. The effect is very sweet, very charming, very innocent. I liked it:
Clearly, behind those captivating eyes and beguiling smile is a very complicated young lady, fearlessly sharing her feelings with all who are willing to listen. We owe it to her to honor her courage by listening – carefully.
Yet, then, in a totally different vein, turning back to the first CD in the set, we find “Have You Ever Been In Love.” [8] This song is presented by Jackie in a very uncharacteristic “breathless” voice, almost deliberately little-girlish. The effect is very sweet, very charming, very innocent. I liked it:
“Have
you ever been in love
Feels
just like a mystery
A
story written on the stars…
Just
like a kaleidoscope
A
thousand tiny shards
The
colors of your heart…[9]
Moving
right along, I have to say that I don’t know what to make of the song “Mamma.” This song is credited to
Italian composer Cesare Andrea Bixio (1896-1978), and Italian lyricist Bixio
Cherubini (1899-1987), but even setting aside the fact that Jackie’s version is
sung in English, it does not seem to bear any resemblance to the original song,
as performed, for example, by Luciano Pavarotti. I would have to say that for
me, if there is a weak spot in this CD, this song is it. Sorry, Jackie.
OK, let’s see… That brings me, finally, to “The Way We Were.” For me, this was the musical and emotional highlight of the CD. I’m going to pause for a moment and listen to this masterpiece again, so my thoughts about it will be fresh in my mind, and my feelings about it will be fresh in my heart…
OK, let’s see… That brings me, finally, to “The Way We Were.” For me, this was the musical and emotional highlight of the CD. I’m going to pause for a moment and listen to this masterpiece again, so my thoughts about it will be fresh in my mind, and my feelings about it will be fresh in my heart…
Although
it has been 44 years, I remember the movie “The
Way We Were” like it was yesterday. Forget the picky critical reviews, the
holes in the plot, and the essentially inexplicable, implausible love affair
between Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand), and Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford)
– Katie being a socially awkward but politically active Marxist Jew with strong, “stridently vocal” anti-war
opinions, and Hubbell being a likeable, impossibly handsome, carefree WASP with blond
hair, blue eyes, and “no particular political bent.” Streisand and Redford were
both larger than life “A-list” movie stars, who came together on screen to
create one of the greatest movie romances
of my lifetime.
The
title track, “The Way We Were,” as originally
performed by Barbra Streisand, was the #1 pop hit of 1974. Quoting from Wikipedia:
“The soundtrack recording became a gold record and hit the Top 20 [of] the Billboard 200, while the single became a million-selling gold single, topping the Billboard Hot 100… selling more than two million copies. Billboard named "The Way We Were" as the number 1 pop hit of 1974. In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and finished at number 8 on AFI's ‘100 Years...100 Songs’ survey of top tunes in American cinema…”[10]
Streisand’s
rendition of "The Way We Were”
is prototypically “Streisand”:
Soaring, confident, appropriately expressive when called for, technically
flawless – a timeless classic in every respect.
So, do you think Jackie found any of this intimidating? Not on your life. As David Foster proclaimed to Jackie during their Las Vegas concert in December, 2011: “You are fearless… FEARLESS!”[11] Indeed…
So, do you think Jackie found any of this intimidating? Not on your life. As David Foster proclaimed to Jackie during their Las Vegas concert in December, 2011: “You are fearless… FEARLESS!”[11] Indeed…
Jackie’s
performance of this “timeless classic,” ably accompanied by the way, by the
Czech National Symphony Orchestra, is every bit her own – soothing, smooth,
soft as silk, earnestly authentic. Her voice is confident in her own right, with
a subtle yearning - dramatic, but never over-powering. She never lets you lose
sight of the fact that this is a love song, pure and simple. This is Jackie at
her best.
Well,
here I am now - I’ve managed to make my way back up into the intellectual
sunlight and emotional fresh air. In summary, what can I say about this latest
musical offering from Jackie? For me, the most important and most exciting
thing about this CD is the inclusion of the five original songs, especially the
four for which Jackie shares writing credits. Why? This is Jackie’s first
realistic shot at a Grammy. Are these songs Grammy-worthy? Absolutely –
especially “The Haunting.”
So,
let me end with some bold Grammy predictions:
Best
pop solo performance: Jackie Evancho,
for “The
Haunting”
Best
pop vocal album: Jackie Evancho and her
production team , for “Two Hearts”
You heard it first here! And oh yes, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
JACKIE!
Stephen K. Fischer
April 9, 2017
[1] The character of Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It, has been described as "a wise fool who acts as a kind of guide or point of reference throughout the play.” He is the character who utters the well-known Shakesperian quote “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” I would appreciate it if the reader would withhold judgment until after reading this review as to whether I am a fool who thinks he is wise, or a wise man who knows he is a fool. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchstone_(metaphor).
[2] In literary – especially poetic – terms, a “conceit”
is an extended, elaborate, often far-fetched metaphor comparing two very
dissimilar objects, ideas or concepts. One might think that the use of such a
literary device is the sign of a clever, sophisticated, learned author or poet,
which in some instances is probably true, especially if you are talking about
one of the famous metaphysical poets of the Renaissance, such as John
Donne. (English poet, 1573 – 1631).
However, in my case, I am employing this conceit out of sheer desperation. http://www.literarydevices.com/conceit/.
[4] Example: “Two
Hearts is a two-disc studio album by Jackie
Evancho, consisting of a classical
crossover disc with 10 tracks and a pop music EP with 5
tracks...” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Hearts_(Jackie_Evancho_album).
[5] Album artwork
courtesy of Lisa Evancho, found at http://teamjackieevancho.proboards.com/thread/67/hearts.
[6] Much of the
difficulty here arises from the fact that “classical crossover” is not a genre
of songs, but is, rather, a style of singing. As the term “crossover” implies,
this style of singing crosses over, or cuts across, if you will, several
different genres of song, among them being opera arias, broadway showtunes,
traditional hymns and other liturgical or religious songs, love ballads, so-called
“new age” music, and yes, even popular songs.
[8] When I first
read that a song with this title was included in this CD, I assumed that it was
the dramatic love ballad by Celine Dion. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This
song is credited to Jimmie Linville, who, as best I can discover from a quick
search of Google and YouTube, is a not-very-well-known singer-songwriter,
hailing from Baraboo, Wisconsin. He has a few videos on YouTube, with the
“hits” measured mostly in the low to mid-hundreds. It would be very interesting
to learn how this song came to to Jackie’s attention.
[9] I couldn’t find
the lyrics written down anywhere. These are a few of the lyrics as I heard
them. Corrections are welcome.
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