Tag: acoustic

Aly Bain + Phil Cunningham | The Jig Runrig

“Fiddler Aly Bain and accordionist Phil Cunningham are two of the most celebrated musicians on the Scottish traditional scene,” (Compass Records). “By the time they began working together in 1988, they were already renowned for their previous accomplishments. Bain was a founding member of the Boys of the Lough, a group whose repertoire includes both Scottish and Irish influences. Cunningham became a member of the infamous Silly Wizard at the age of sixteen, launching a prolific and diverse musical career. The duo first worked together on a television series in 1988, and embarked on their first tour shortly after. They were so well-received that they have been touring together ever since. Their two previous duo recordings, The Pearl (1996) and The Ruby (1998), have been met with high acclaim.”

“Having toured together since 1986 to packed concert halls all over the world, Aly and Phil continue to charm audiences with their stunning music and on-stage charisma that defies description,” (PhilCunningham.com). “Witty and humorous banter sits alongside tunes that tug the heartstrings, and joyous reels and melodies that have feet tapping along at their ever popular concerts. The pair have recorded many highly acclaimed albums in their thirty years together including two ‘Best Of’ collections. Aly and Phil have won numerous awards, including the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ BEST DUO Award, and have been nominated in the Scottish Traditional Music Awards for ’Live Act of the Year.’”

The duo’s piece “The Jig Runrig,” performed here in 2019, modulates several times, starting with a shift up a perfect fourth at the 0:30 mark. The duo’s phrasing is uncanny, with the fiddle and accordion often sounding like a single instrument during the unison sections!

Brooke Parrott | Persuade Me

“Growing up, (Portland’s Brooke Parrott) played music and wrote stories incessantly, eventually pursuing a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston,” (BrookeParrott.com). “The years after found Brooke in London, living in a disused pub rumored to be an old haunt of Charles Dickens and Karl Marx, where she wrote songs on a disintegrating grand piano in the parlor. She began working for a small live music startup company that grew up to be a big one, and learned a lot in the process.

When the siren call of the Pacific Northwest became too loud to ignore, Brooke returned and found her place touring and recording music with Portland darlings Loch Lomond. She released a second studio effort, an EP called Buried, that was written between contrasting worlds—part hectic city and suffocating winter in London, part hinterland yurt in the Oregon woods.”

Starting in D minor, Parrott’s 2008 release “Persuade Me” shifts at 0:52 into a chorus in C minor. From 2:24-2:56, an angular bridge built around chromatic bass motion holds sway before a return to the chorus. The final chorus ends by hanging in the air, unresolved.

The Boys of the Lough | Farewell and Remember Me

“A fun-loving approach to Celtic music has made the Boys of the Lough one of folk music’s most influential groups. Since they formed in the 1960s, the Ireland-based band have been instrumental in the evolution of traditional Irish music,” (Qobuz).

“Boys of the Lough are one of the masters of celtic music, combining members from several celtic traditions with a long history (Ceolas.org) … Like that other long-running act, the Chieftans, their music tends to the formal; impeccable technique and sensitivity, with large, sometimes classical-style arrangements, and very tight ensemble playing. They lack the fire and roughness of other groups; the overall feeling is of a group of skilled, well-integrated musicians playing together for the pure pleasure of it.”

“Farewell and Remember Me,” from the group’s 1987 album of the same name, is a ballad largely built in F# major. Accompanied by piano and fiddle, the solo vocal line takes center stage for several verses, each ending on a suspended tonic chord. At 2:12, the final verse shifts to F# minor, closing the tune without resolution on a wistful VI chord.

B.J. Thomas + Keb’ Mo’ | Most of All

“B.J. Thomas is joined by Grammy winning bluesman Keb’ Mo’ on this newly recorded acoustic version of BJ’s 1971 hit ‘Most Of All’ from the release The Living Room Sessions,” (Youtube). “A true American institution whose iconic pop, country and gospel hits defined their respective generations and now transcend them, B.J. Thomas has found a unique way to celebrate an incredible half a century in music and some 47 years since his first gold selling hit … The singer, a five time Grammy and two time Dove Award winner who has sold more than 70 million records … is ranked in Billboard‘s Top 50 most played artists over the past 50 years.” The Grammy Hall of Fame inductee passed away in 2021.

Thomas’ duet partner on this expanded 2013 version of the original solo vocal track, vocalist/guitarist Keb’ Mo’, has won five Grammy awards and 14 Blues Foundation awards during his 50-year career and has collaborated with Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, and Lyle Lovett (KebMo.com).

Originally released on Thomas’ 1970 album of the same name, “Most of All” became a #2 hit on the US Adult Contemporary chart. After a rubato section and a pause, the updated version of the tune shifts up a half step as the breezy groove returns at 1:47.

Emily Linge | All By Myself (Eric Carmen cover)

Emily Linge is a prolific YouTube contributor and a British-Norwegian singer songwriter born and raised in Dubai. She sings and self-accompanies on piano and guitar, sometimes with other instrumentalists, including her two brothers. Despite her young age (she was 13 when this video was posted), many of the songs she performs are from decades past, with lots of Beatles covers in particular.

“All By Myself” is a power ballad written by Eric Carmen, with elements taken from Sergei Rachmoninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto. (A version by male vocal group Il Divo appeared previously on MotD). Emily’s rendition largely follows Carmen’s, including the expressive piano interlude featured on his album edit.

Linge’s cover begins in G major; from 2:41 – 3:12, a brief interlude takes leave of the key, moving in several directions before a return to G. At 4:24, a common-tone modulation to B major takes a page from Céline Dion’s gutsy version, including a soaring high vocal line at 4:21. A few more keys are briefly visited before Linge lands in A major at 4:47.

Kings Return | So Amazing

“The members of the Dallas group Kings Return boast such perfect four-part harmonies they don’t need instruments, gadgets or electronics,” (Dallas Morning News). “They do, however, gravitate to one natural effect: Stairwell reverberation. Formed in 2016 to perform for bass vocalist Gabe Kunda’s graduation recital, Kings Return didn’t get serious until 2019, when videos of the band singing on a staircase at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington (TX) went viral. ‘That stairwell had such excellent reverb … it’s a huge part of our success: We joke that it’s the fifth member of the group,’ says baritone singer Jamall Williams.

Since its first video, King’s Return has racked up millions of views for its a cappella renditions of songs by everyone from Schubert to Shania Twain to Boyz II Men. Last fall, its recording of the Bee Gees’ ‘How Deep is Your Love’ earned Matt Cusson a Grammy nomination for best arrangement.”

Originally released by Dionne Warwick in 1983, “So Amazing” was co-written by Luther Vandross and bassist Marcus Miller. In 1986, Vandross covered his composition for his hit album Give Me the Reason. The a cappella version by Kings Return, released only a few days ago, starts in B major, drops a quick fake-out diversion from the key, and then lands decisively back in B major — within the first 16 seconds! The track transitions to G# major at 1:01, then F# major at 2:07; the closing sequence (starting at 2:37) drops the groove in favor of multiple overlapping harmonic footings which (surprise!) deliver us back to F# at the end.

Many thanks to Steve Travis for the submission of this beautifully re-imagined a cappella cover — his first contribution to MotD.

Brandy Clark | Daughter

“Brandy Clark is one of the names most identified with queer country music,” (CountryQueer.com). “An openly lesbian major-label country artist who sits comfortably in the top tier of Nashville’s finest songwriters, Clark has co-penned radio hits for years, like the groundbreaking ‘Follow Your Arrow’ for Kacey Musgraves, boldly asserting freedom of sexual preference. And Clark has famously channeled other marginalized characters in her own releases. Her influence within mainstream country music has rippled far beyond what’s suggested by mere name recognition.”

“Low-key and wry, Clark is a meticulous songwriter who made hits for Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, LeAnn Rimes and Kacey Musgraves before she put her own name on an album (NPR Tiny Desk Concerts) … But when Clark steps in front of a mic and turns on the charm, her humor pulls the audience right into every single joke … In anyone else’s hands, (‘Daughter’) might have been a bitter revenge fantasy, but Clark’s gently swooping verses and puckered choruses sketch the bemused, from-the-front-porch distance of wronged party who knows that fate is likely to do more damage to a cad than a key would ever do to his car’s glossy paint job.” Clark garnered “eleven (Grammy) nods in previous years. She was up for six trophies at the 2024 Grammy Awards (American Songwriter) … (her) impressive range as an artist landed her in three categories — Americana, country, and theater.” This week, she finally took home her first Grammy.

“Daughter,” from Clark’s 2016 release Big Day in a Small Town, makes great use of her sharp observational wit and top-drawer songcraft. The tune is built in G major overall; a transitional pre-chorus at 0:31 hides all the seams while leading us to a chorus in Bb major in 0:41. At 1:08, the next verse returns in G major and the cycle continues. There are three tunes included in this Tiny Desk concert; “Daughter” is the first, but all of them are worth a listen!

Will Gittens & Bren’nae | I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Whitney Houston’s classic, originally recorded in 1987, is covered here by singer/songwriters Will Gittens and Bren’nae. Gittens, who boasts 60 million views on YouTube, grew up in Nashville and graduated from Berklee College of Music. Drawing his inspiration from Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson and others, Gittens has released two albums of acoustic covers. Bren’nae Debarge was a contestant in season 8 of the NBC reality series The Voice.

The track begins in Eb and modulates up a step to F at 2:47.

Rajaton | Laulamahan

Rajaton “is a six member a cappella group founded in Helsinki, Finland, that comprises two sopranos, two baritones, and an alto and tenor each,” (DCTheaterArts). “Rajaton is a pop sensation in its native Finland, where it is renowned for its genre-crossing repertoire of classical to Europop and where it has a double platinum, three platinum, and a collection of gold records, amongst over awards under its belt. The group … continues to spread the joy of their music through touring in over twenty-five countries. … The name Rajaton is the Finnish word for ‘boundless’ and (is a) metaphor for the wide breadth of their repertoire.”

From AllMusic’s profile of the group: “The group released its first album, Nova, in 2000, and over the course of the next decade managed another eight releases, including albums and DVD offerings. Their October 2007 album, Maa, was another strong seller for the band, as it cracked the Top Ten on the Finland album charts.”

The joyful track “Laulamahan,” released in 2022, shifts in texture throughout while the overall tempo remains unchanged. There are several modulations, the first of which is a shift two whole steps downward at 0:43. 

Seals and Crofts | Dust On My Saddle

Seals and Crofts, the 70s duo synonymous with the soft rock genre, were best known for lushly arranged, wide-ranging musical journeys which somehow also hit the pop charts. But the group also had some country and bluegrass playing in its collective history, demonstrated by the uptempo track “Dust On My Saddle.” The tune shifts throughout between A major on the chorus and F# major on the verses — with unmissable chromatic transitions in the bass.

Stereo Review provided an overview of the track’s hit 1973 album, Diamond Girl: “Radio listening can create the impression that Seals and Crofts have a narrow, restricted style, the core of it being a kind of low-keyed preachiness couched in high-noted harmonies. In fact, their work is eclectic, or extraordinarily varied, and this album is especially so …

You’re almost certain to like some of it, almost certain not to like all of it, but likely to admire, in any case, the way Seals and Crofts manage to sound like Seals and Crofts through all these changes. Myself, I like the guitar-mandolin arrangements, the lyricism, and the taste — and I grow a little weary of being talked down to, which seems necessarily a part of the religious instruction and/or moralizing they periodically lay upon us. I also find this particular album so carefully produced that it is almost sterile in some places. It seems, however, that there are several levels on which I can listen to it, paying varying degrees of attention — and I find some sort of reward at any plateau. Can’t explain that. But people who are more heavily into Eastern Thought than I am are continually doing things that affect me in ways I can’t explain.”