Sunday, November 24, 2019

Can’t Ignore This Catty One


Song 487: This week on the playlist you can hear How Does That Grab You Darlin’? by Nancy Sinatra, written by Lee Hazlewood, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title.  I never had any interest in Frank Sinatra, but when his daughter came along and got everyone's attention with These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Song 352), she caught my ear as well. This clever follow-up, which is basically the title track for Nancy's second LP, sounded to me like a catchy and worthy successor to her opening splash. Critics at the time would disparage her vocal ability, saying that she did not have the singing talent that her father did, and that her voice only sounded as good as it did on her cuts because of the recording studio manipulations that engineers and producers create. I would bet that many listeners reacted to that criticism the same way I did: WHO CARES? I always felt that if a record sounded good, it didn't matter how that sound arrived, and having seen the process from the inside for a few decades, I hold that POV even more strongly than I did 50 years ago. How does that grab you? How does that mess your mind? For me, this spin still grabs my ear, and I'd say it sounds Prrrrrr. . . ty good. BTW, if you're looking for real Purrfection, I hope to put out a new release in the early months of 2020 that uses that title.


No comments:

Post a Comment