Time is fleeting this week for various reasons, and I'm way behind in sharing this week's tracks. So just a few words on the Gene Marshall numbers I've chosen for this week. Although "Hummin' and a Strummin'" is written in the first person, I sense a strong feeling of disdain for the singer, on the part of the lyric writer, who was perhaps lumping all of those hippies together in writing this song about one of the laziest people ever described. Her ability to construct and portray a realistic person while simultaneously showing his foibles does not exactly rival the talents in this area of Randy Newman - an unfair comparison, I suppose, but if you're going to shoot for this sort of thing, you need to hit the target without being as obvious about it as the lyrics are here, doncha think?
Play:
The flip side, "Shifting Sand", is an average level lyric containing a common sentiment and experiment. I've heard better, and in listening to song-poems, I've heard a lot worse, MANY times. This writer, at least, manages to hold my attention and put together some moderately affecting words. And it helps that Gene Marshall turns in another masterful vocal.
Download: Gene Marshall - Shifting Sand
Play:
No comments:
Post a Comment