Glenn Frey reaches new listeners in his interpretation of classic popular songs.
Classic love songs
“After
Hours” is Glenn Frey’s fifth studio album and the first in 20 years. The album
includes 11 songs (14 songs on the Deluxe Edition), most of them classic love
songs from the 1920s to the present day.
Many, but not all, come from an American repertoire of jazz and blues
standards. For those who have followed Frey since the 1970s, this album comes
as no surprise. Detroit-born Frey, founding member of the Eagles, a
style-setting band from the 70s, has always been inspired by soul and blues. “After
Hours” is an album that’s been waiting to happen.
The tunes
on the album were previously recorded by other well-known artists. These are
popular songs with a solid history. Glenn Frey has undoubtedly the credibility to
tackle this classic repertoire. Frey’s voice is well-suited to the romantic songs,
as well as his personal style. He sings them with respect to the original
recordings and with his heart on his sleeve.
Vocal
styles of jazz and blues are often more dynamic, nuanced and idiomatic compared
to rock. Frey manages the shift effortlessly, the result being a rich and
reflective interpretation – this time without his guitar as a safety net.
Holistic quality
Glenn
Frey and producers Michael Thompson and Richard Davis, collaborating with sound
technician Elliot Scheiner, have created a remarkably warm and elegant
soundtrack. Despite the contemporary sound, the album points to the history of
the songs. Due to the wise choices made by the producers, the soundtrack is
organic and the arrangements intimate and balanced.
The
opening track For Sentimental Reasons,
originally recorded by Nat King Cole, was the number one hit single on the
Billboard chart in 1946. It was later recorded by a number of other artists,
most notably Ella Fitzgerald. The song succeeds in setting the tone for the
album. Frey strikes a collective, harmonious chord, from For Sentimental Reasons to the closing After Hours, lending the album a holistic quality.
My Buddy and I’m Getting Old Before My Time have both been waiting for novel
interpretations. The former dates back to 1922 and was recorded by Dr. John and
Chet Baker, among others, while Dinah Washington recorded the latter. The
mesmerizing My Buddy is a sad love
song and is said to be adopted during World War II as a song about male
camaraderie among the allied troops. Frey chose these two songs carefully. He
masters the smooth jazz format well, and the result is a long-awaited recording
of both songs.
Enchants the listener
(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66
was written by musician and actor Bobby Troup in 1946 on a road trip across the
country to California. The tune soon became a hit for Nat King Cole. Now the
song is an American institution and has immortalized the famous route from
Chicago to L.A. Frey enchants his audience in his seductive video.
The Shadow Of Your Smile from the
film “The Sandpiper” from 1964 was made famous by Barbra Streisand, and later
recorded by Tony Bennett and Shirley Bassey, among others. A beautiful, sentimental tune treated with care by Frey. One of
the finest tracks on the album.
The
optimistic and cabaret-inspired hymn Here’s
To Life was recorded by jazz singer Shirley Horn in 1991 and also made
famous by Barbra Streisand on her jazz album “Love is the Answer” from 2009.
Frey opens up the song magnificently and delivers with the depth of a poet.
The song It’s Too Soon To Know topped the rhythm
and blues chart in 1948. Frey was perhaps inspired by Linda Ronstadt’s version
from her “Winter Light” album. It was Ronstadt who gave the young Glenn Frey a
spot in her touring band in 1970 and brought him upfront on stage. It’s Too Soon to Know has an undefined
country rock sound, which suits them both.
The Look Of Love was
recorded by Dusty Springfield for the James Bond film Casino Royal in 1967, inspired
by actress Ursula Andress. While Diana Krall’s interpretation is transparent
and distinct, Frey’s version has a particular good beat and the song is one of
the album’s highlights.
In the contours of the classics
The Beach
Boys were a vital source of inspiration for Glenn Frey in the late 60s when he
moved from Detroit to L.A. (One of the four Bs to shape both the Eagles and
L.A. rock: The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Flying
Burrito Brothers). The song Caroline, No
by Brian Wilson fits neatly in the album. Though Wilson’s version is hard to
surpass, Frey holds the song up to the light and offers his own excellent interpretation.
Superb orchestration. A gem of a song!
Frey has included Randy Newman’s Same Girl from Newman’s album “Trouble in Paradise” – a sad, simple, but lovely song about a drug addicted girl living on the street. Frey and Newman have something in common; both have the ability to arrange and sing songs that are so stark, still and romantic you could hear a pin drop.
Both
songs are essential to the album, balancing it out and placing the newer songs
in the contours of the classics.
Country sound
The
Deluxe Edition of the album contains another three tracks: Worried Mind, I Wanna Be
Around and The Good Life. Frey’s
version of the melodic Worried Mind, recorded
by Ray Charles, among others, has a distinct country sound. The lyrics of The Good Life, a Tony Bennet staple
song, from the film “Seven Deadly Sins” stand out in particular: “It’s the good
life to be free and explore the unknown/Like the heartaches when you learn you
must face them alone.” Few artists can sing these words with more credence than
Frey.
The
well-known hit I Wanna Be Around
written by Johnny Mercer in 1962 is another Tony Bennett classic, found in the
soundtrack from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. Frey is more reflective
than the extroverted Tony Bennett. He brings out the nuances from the
composition in an admirable way.
Epilogue
The striking
title track After Hours was written
by songwriting duo Glenn Frey & Jack Tempchin. This is the album’s
epilogue, written by a man who reflects on his past and lost love: “People used
to dance here after hours/Wrapped around each other in a song/Every now and
then, so very long ago/Doesn't really seem so long”. The song contains
exquisite lyrics about sentimental longing: “Driving up at midnight, ladies
dressed in fur/When I see the quiet street, I always think of her/Not the way
she is now, but the way that she was then/Sometimes you can't go back again.”
The song
is reminiscent of the album “The Allnighter”, relating the classic songs to
Frey’s own material. The track After
Hours is Frey’s sentimental homage to the music of his parents’ generation,
when the tunes from this album were pop songs and hits.
Transformational album
Glenn
Frey will be reaching new listeners with his album “After Hours”. Undoubtedly
the album is a transformational one for Frey. It will be interesting to see how
this album influences his future work. This album is recommended for those
already familiar with the repertoire, and for newer listeners in need of an
introduction.
