| Product Summary | | Label: Universal Music Group | | UPC: 00600445050075 | | Release Date: 11/11/2003 | | Buy.com Sku: 60618759 | | Item#: MEXVWN | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
(P) 2003 SKG Music L.L.C.
(C) 2003 SKG Music L.L.C.
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| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Ronald Isley (vocals); Burt Bacharach (piano); Dean Parks (guitar); Gayle Levant (harp); Dan Higgins (woodwinds, saxophone); Warren Luening (trumpet, flugelhorn); Dave Duke, Phillip Yao (French horn); Rob Schrock, Jim Cox (keyboards); Neil Stubenhaus, David Coy (bass); Vinnie Colaiuta, Harvey Mason (drums); Dan Greco (percussion); Kim Johnson, JS-Kandy, Josie James, Donna Taylor (background vocals). | | Producers: Burt Bacharach, Ted Perlman, Ronald Isley. | | Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California and Record One, Sherman Oaks, California. Includes liner notes by Steven Ivory and Burt Bacharach. | | Personnel: Ronald Isley (vocals); Dean Parks, Ted Perlman (guitar); Gayle Levant (harp); Assa Drori, John Wittenberg, Barbara Porter, Shari Zippert, Kathleen Robertson, Mari Tsumura, Bob Peterson, Nicolas Garcia, Yvette Devereaux, Peter Kent, Lesa Terry, Margaret Wooten, Darius Campo, Michele Richards, Susan Chatman, Berj Garabedian, Miwako Watanabe, Mark Cargill, Charlie Bisharat, Mario Diaz de Leon (violin); Robin Ross, Virginia Frazier, Karen Elaine Bakunin, John Hayhurst, Robert Becker, Evan Wilson, Darrin McCann, Denyse Buffum (viola); Dan Higgins (woodwinds, saxophone); Gary Grant, Warren Luening (trumpet, flugelhorn); Phillip Edward Yao, Dave Rockin Duke, Brian O'Connor (French horn); Burt Bacharach (piano); Rob Shrock, Jim Cox (keyboards); Dave Crigger, John "J.R." Robinson , Harvey Mason, Sr. , Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Dan Greco (percussion); Kandy, Kim Moore Johnson, JS, Josie James, Donna Taylor (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Al Schmidt; Allen Sides. | | Liner Note Author: Steven Ivory. | | Recording information: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA. | | Photographers: Neal Preston; William Claxton. | | Arranger: Burt Bacharach. | | While the collaboration between soul singer supreme Ron Isley and composer and arranger Burt Bacharach does not have the adventurous scope of Bacharach's collaboration with Elvis Costello -- in that the tunes featured here are mostly Bacharach classics -- it is every bit as satisfying. At 62, Isley's voice is sweeter and more resonant than ever. Bacharach's new charts for these songs take into consideration the singer of "Harvest for the World," "Fight the Power," and "For the Love of You." Inside these towering, lush harmonic architectures shimmers Isley's golden throat, adding just that sultry hint of deep soul to the proceedings. It might be difficult to picture Isley fronting a full studio orchestra for "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," but his version of the tune is an altogether different animal than the B.J. Thomas version. The chart is a smoky, Jimmy Scott-styled jazz chart and Isley makes it the last song in the world. Likewise, "The Look of Love" is slightly more uptempo and the horns are warmer, more up front than on the original. The long instrumental interlude is followed by a sweet moan from the singer who falls into the faux bossa tune as if it's three in the morning. On "This Guy's in Love With You," the pleading at the heart of Isley's vocal takes the listener into a brand new context. The humble, dry delivery of Herb Alpert has been washed away by Bacharach's pianism and a stuttered backbeat that allows the singer to float above the arrangement. "Count on Me," co-written with Tonio K., is the lilting vehicle for Isley in that it contains space for his gospel voice to open just enough to color the cut with altruism. But it's the album opener that's worth its weight in gold; "Alfie," no matter who has sung it, has always been a deeply moving and evocative song. Between Isley and Bacharach, it leaves the realm of nostalgia and becomes its own aching confessional of disillusionment and heartbreak. The spare electric guitar that introduces the theme and the hushed strings behind the singer's voice underscore the conviction. When Isley moves up in his register, he does so all at once. There is no slide; there's just pure conviction in the grain of his sublime voice. This is a winner, a beautiful effort that combines the give and take of the pop song with the emotion of great American soul singing. ~ Thom Jurek | | For some, HERE I AM: ISLEY MEETS BACHARACH appears to be a meeting between Mr. Biggs, the character made famous in R. Kelly's music videos, and the Elvis Costello's piano-playing sideman from an Austin Powers movie. Others, however, will recognize that this project really represents a collaboration between the legendary Isley Brothers' ageless frontman and a compositional genius whose work with partner Hal David helped craft some of the most seminal songs in popular American music. | | The result of this pairing is a gorgeously recorded stroll through the Bacharach/David canon with the accompaniment of a 40-piece orchestra. In addition, Bacharach played piano, conducted, and created the new arrangements. Having waited nearly four decades to cut some of Bacharach's music, Isley is in fine form with his gorgeously pure vocals fitting hand in glove with these selections. Isley effortlessly moves from the melancholy sentiment of former girlfriend Dionne Warwick's "Alfie" to a radically reworked reading of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" that turns the classic into a brand new song. When you consider well-known songs such as "The Look of Love," "Close to You," and "A House Is Not a Home" were all recorded live in the studio with a maximum of one or two takes, it's a wonder HERE I AM didn't happen sooner. |
Engineer: Wil Donovan; Jimmy Hoyson; Al Schmidt; Allen Sides |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 11/11/2003 | | Original Release Date : 2003 | | Catalog ID : 000100502 | | Label : Dreamworks SKG | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Live | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00600445050075 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (12/25/03-1/8/04, p.123)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...Soul legend Ron Isley has fun with old [Bacharach] nuggets...slowing down the tempos and teasing the lyrics with his sexy falsetto..."Entertainment Weekly (11/14/03, p.124)
- "Conventional thinking has held it to be nigh impossible to improve on Dionne Warwick's interpretations, but this album is sure to throw that assumption into doubt..." - Rating: A- |
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| | Bio | | The longtime lead vocalist for the Isley Brothers, Ronald Isley helmed the influential family group for close to a half century, a period spanning not only two generations of siblings but also massive cultural shifts that heralded their music's transformation from gritty R&B to Motown soul to blistering funk. Born in Cincinnati, OH, on May 21, 1941, as a preteen he joined siblings Rudolph, O'Kelly, and Vernon to form the earliest incarnation of the group. After Vernon's 1955 death in a bicycling accident, Ronald was tapped as the remaining trio's lead vocalist. Early singles stiffed, but "Shout" -- their 1959 debut for RCA -- sold a million copies, despite failing to crack the Top 40. Only after the Isleys left RCA for the Wand label did they have another hit, this time with their seminal 1962 cover of the Top Notes' "Twist and Shout." After recording for their own T-Neck label, they signed to the Motown subsidiary Tamla in 1965, joining forces with the famed Holland-Dozier-Holland writing and production team. The Isleys' first single, the shimmering "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)," was their finest moment yet and barely missed the pop Top Ten. The group still felt straitjacketed by the Motown assembly line production formula and in 1969, they exited Tamla to resuscitate the T-Bone label. Their next release, the muscular and funky "It's Your Thing," hit number two on the U.S. charts in 1969 and became their most successful record. In 1973, the Isleys scored a massive hit with their rock-funk fusion cover of their own earlier single "Who's That Lady," retitled "That Lady (Pt. 1)." The album 3 + 3 also proved highly successful, as did 1975's The Heat Is On, which spawned the smash "Fight the Power (Pt. 1)." As the decade wore on, the group again altered its sound to fit into the booming disco market; while their success on pop radio ran dry, they frequently topped the R&B charts with singles like 1977's "The Pride," 1978's "Take Me to the Next Phase (Pt. 1)," 1979's "I Wanna Be With You (Pt. 1)," and 1980's "Don't Say Goodnight." In 1986, O'Kelly Isley died of a heart attack and brother Rudolph left to join the ministry soon after; Ronald forged on, however, teaming with younger siblings Ernie and Marvin for albums, including 1996's Mission to Please.
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