Singer-songwriter and 1970s/1980s movie star Ronee Blakley gratified her fans last year, when she finally released a long-awaited DVD and soundtrack CD from her seldom-seen film, “I Played It For You”.
Her new album, “Live At The Mint,” captures a recent live nightclub performance – and is the first chance many fans have had to hear how Ronee sounds today.
People who saw Ronee perform live in her 1970s heyday were often treated to the intimate delight of Ronee singing solo, accompanying herself on the piano. This performance starts off that way – there are five solo selections, then seven with a band.
Ronee still has what one critic called “that profound voice that seems to come not from her, but through her” – resonant, flexible and powerful. But now she seems reluctant to push it as hard as she did earlier in her career. The solo performance is peppered with selections that don’t demand too much of her – such as delicate a cappella versions of traditional folk songs, and spoken recitations of lyrics. Of the solo songs, only “Alien Abduction” really displays the fascinating quirkiness that typified her 70s performances. Its soaring melody contrasts sharply with the stark resignation of its lyrics: “all along I knew someone would come for me/ but I was wrong, see me now, beneath the hot desert sun/ waiting for nothing and no one”. The solo section also includes a solid performance of “Bluebird,” an early country song of Ronee’s that was featured in Robert Altman’s legendary film “Nashville”.
Ronee Blakley performs at the Mint (photo by Jenine LaCette)
But Ronee doesn’t really belt until the band is behind her. When she does, she’s as arresting as ever, and the wait is well worth it. From the gentle rock of “I Need A Man,” with its wry humor – “I need a man/ to bring me medicine/ I need a man, to take me dancin’” – to the “Johnny Cash influence” of the traveling song “1200 miles,” she proves she still has a wide range as a songwriter. She really rocks out on the powerful and dramatic “Prodigy,” which closes the performance, crescendoing from spoken to sung to wailed lyrics. The song reviews her whole colorful, adventurous life, and then fearlessly faces mortality:
When did it happen, when did we grow old
When we graduated, when our song was sold…
Now the days are shorter and the years are shorter still;
Destination liberation, we had so much time to kill.
I’m headed for the barn and the barn is down the hill
To sleep, perchance to dream-- one day, I know I will.
Candor, intelligence and originality are still her trademarks. This remarkable singer-songwriter continues to build and share a unique body of work, and her mentor, Bob Dylan, should be very proud of her.
The album is available from CD Baby at view link
Review (c) 2009 by Jack Veasey
