Elvis on Diana's new album "Glad Rag Doll"

[Poor Deportee]

I found her version of this Dylan song which I encountered a while ago to be very effective. You might recognize a few of the musicians accompanying her as they have had a certain connection with another musician we appreciate:


http://youtu.be/Juu18TmPEXM

Sorry to barge in late...but wow, that may be the best version of that song in existence. A stunner.

Listening to clips of her first album, I found myself disconcerted to hear a very direct Gillian Welch influence. That shows excellent taste on Sarah's part, of course; but it also makes me feel my age! Hoo boy.

I definitely hear Gillian in this clip:

http://youtu.be/zVGg38_QzOI

Is it not telling how so often he gets a stellar cover from another artist? Outside of Lennon/McCartney I can think of hardly any others covered so well. Maybe Lamont, Dozier and Holland. Each new generation just seems to gravitate to him, so strong is his 'pull' in the musical tide. And his material is so adaptable as he gives evidence every year of the NET.

Here is a jazz take on a familiar song that caught my interest awhile back-

http://youtu.be/O-4E7JSDRcg

Well, Chris, at the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I really think that Dylan is categorically distinct from his peers in the songwriting business. Otherwise put, he has no peer in the second half of the 20th century, at least not in the idiom of popular song - except maybe Lennon/McCartney, as you note here. To my mind, and I know I probably sound pompous, Dylan and The Beatles are the two acts in popular music with the best chance at something approaching immortality, or at least a contribution that will continue to provoke, vex, and inspire future generations for years to come. And of the two Dylan's work is the most vast and complex. Other major performers (Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, perhaps Elvis) may have individual songs that endure, but it's these two whose comprehensive contributions have the best shot at lasting significance. I may be proven wrong about that, but I really believe it. Dylan's work in toto hits a level of genuine greatness, not just excellence.

[Jack of All Parades]

This one by young Sarah works well, too. I like the usage of the unaccompanied cello- her intonation catches nicely the key rhyming within the lyric, punctuating the emotions the lyric generates with those incisive rhymes and effectively hammers home the pain:

http://youtu.be/BEJlfcYpMcM

[And No Coffee Table]

Video for "When The Curtain Comes Down" starring Steve Buscemi:
http://www.dianakrall.com/video_d.aspx?meid=2558

This actually has less EC content than the album version, because EC's spoken part has been replaced by Buscemi's own performance.

Some background here: http://www.dianakrall.com/news_d.aspx?nid=2496

[sweetest punch]

Diana plays "Almost Blue" on her Glad Rag Doll tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GdLynMxuuQ

[docinwestchester]

Diana plays "Almost Blue" on her Glad Rag Doll tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GdLynMxuuQ

Dennis Crouch on bass there.