Tag: acoustic

Rufus Wainwright | Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk

Vocalist/pianist/composer Rufus Wainwright released “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” the first track on his sophomore album Poses, in 2001. Wainwright benefited from classical piano and composition training and has carved out two career niches: a unique brand of chamber pop and opera composition. From AllMusic‘s review: the tune “combines classic Gershwin/Brian Wilson pop feels along with a strong sense of French cabaret show tunes” — nowhere more clearly than in this live version.

Starting in E major, a modulation to E minor hits at 0:50 and reverts to E major at 1:26; the pattern continues from there.

Sting | Shape of My Heart

In 1993, Sting released “Shape of My Heart,” a track from the album Ten Summoner’s Tales. Sting said of his guest soloist: “One of the greatest harmonica players this century, Larry Adler … he’s played with George Gershwin, he’s had symphonies written for him, he’s a classical player. He was blacklisted by the McCarthy people in the late ’40s, left the US to live in London, and he’s been there ever since.” Adler passed away in 2001 at the age of 87.

The track modulates for the instrumental bridge (2:24 – 2:53), then reverts back to its original key.

Chris Thile | I’m Nowhere and You’re Everything

American Bluegrass/Newgrass mandolinist Chris Thile, known for his work with Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers, released his fourth solo album, Deceiver, in 2004. After a chaotic bridge from 2:50 to 3:10, “I’m Nowhere and You’re Everything” modulates at 3:10, 3:42, and 4:06.

From The Houston Chronicle‘s review: “If you expected Thile to cater to Bluegrass orthodoxy and Newgrass’ oft-meandering constructs, this album’s title suggests you’ve been duped.”

Nickel Creek | Doubting Thomas

Nickel Creek, an acoustic trio known for its polished Americana sound and a Grammy winner in the Contemporary Folk category, released “Doubting Thomas” in 2005. Chris Thile, now the host of the weekly radio program Live from Here, is featured on lead vocals and mandolin.

The bridge (1:59 – 2:25) modulates before the tune returns to its original key.

James Taylor | On the 4th of July

Happy Fourth! Apologies for the second James Taylor post in as many weeks!

JT somehow seamlessly combines Americana instrumentation with a light Brazilian groove and unmistakably jazz-infused chord voicings for “On the 4th of July” (2002). In the short instrumental section (2:11), the guitar restates the hook and the scene is set for the modulation (2:19).

James Taylor | Enough To Be On Your Way

Far removed in time from his early hits, 1997’s Hourglass was a James Taylor album home to wonderfully woven stories, increasingly complex harmonies, and multi-layered textures. The artist described the collection as “spirituals for agnostics.”

“Enough to Be On Your Way,” reported to have been written in the wake of the death of Taylor’s brother Alex, is quietly stunning even before the modulation — but JT adds a key change to the mix at 4:35. The track features cello by Yo-Yo Ma.

Chris Thile and Sarah Jarosz | Power Off and Carry On

The former weekly radio show A Prarie Home Companion is now titled Live from Here. Its new host, Bluegrass star mandolinist / vocalist Chris Thile, serves up plenty of gorgeous tunes himself in addition to material from an eclectic mix of visiting artists.

“Power Off and Carry On” (2018) has a distinct ABA form; the B section, far more than just a bridge, is an extended modulated section from 1:45 to 3:33, where the tune returns to its original key. A wonderful illustration of the contemporary edge of Newgrass with a stunning assist from vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz.

Bruce Hornsby and the Range | Look Out Any Window

Bruce Hornsby created a unique Americana-inflected pop style through his early 1980s work with Bruce Hornsby and the Range. In “Look Out Any Window,” (1988) ” … Bruce chooses to highlight the concern of environmental degradation at the hands of big business,” (Bruuuce.com) “By pointing a broad, sweeping accusatory finger at ‘Far away, men too busy getting rich to care,’ he taps into a popular sentiment among young, concerned, (though invariably middle class) western teenagers.

The song was written at a time just before concerns over the Ozone Layer and ‘Greenhouse Effect’ were about to burst into major headline news stories … The lyrics also tap into a wider sense of regional discontent at centralist government, or urban/rural divide: The valiant, subsistence labourers – ‘There’s a man working in a field’ and ‘There’s a man working in a boat’ – against the likes of the ‘Big boys telling you everything they’re gonna do,’ and ‘Fat cat builderman, turning this into a wasteland.'”

An instrumental bridge (2:52 – 3:28) which modulates and then reverts to the original key as it reaches the final pre-chorus.

Gabriel Kahane | Charming Disease

Pianist/vocalist/composer Gabriel Kahane writes chamber music for the classical stage, but also gigs regularly in bars and pubs with his genre-busting contemporary acoustic music. “Charming Disease” (2011) has a bridge which hits at about the 2:00 mark, modulates at 3:01, and then settles back into the original key at 3:13.