fragments of an attempted writing.




Discussion of Irish country in a thread below reminded me that Carrie Rodriguez's new beau and singing partner is the Irish country singer Ben Kyle.  Above are two of their songs.  I'm not so sure about that high and soft Irish voice singing the Van Zandt classic, perhaps he should smoke some more, but as everybody and their mother has covered that song I would say this version is fair to middling, relatively speaking.  The best cover of If I Needed You ever done was, of course, that of Lyle Lovett.

I can get into Irish country, but thus far I think Rodriguez and Kyle don't show much promise of rising to the level that Rodriguez and Taylor did.

6 comments:

  1. No version of "If I Needed You" rivals Townes' original. Dylan had the Byrds, but nothing similar has emerged to interpret Van Zandt's music...though Emmy Lou Harris doing "Pancho and Lefty" comes close.

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  2. I don't mind that Kyle fellow's voice so much. But I agree that, if he were to smoke and drink a lot, he could someday develop a voice to rival that of the Irish Nightingale:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fOqihDIdk

    Diane

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  3. More from the Irish Nightingale. The older he got, the more dulcet and mellifluous his voice became. ;)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMvv3LL94GM&feature=related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du48-eq0Tpg

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpQ1JZcDfk&feature=related

    Diane

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  4. Oh my gosh, I am on a roll. And i'm not eevn drinking Guinness!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siQtzrI5w88

    diane

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  5. Luke Kelly, of course, could croon a sweet, soft tune as well:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIBg2ZgMAoc

    OK, now I'm done. :)

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  6. Dan -

    100% agree. The only definitive interpreter for TVZ is TVZ - see "Live at the Old Quarter."

    ReplyDelete

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