Album 94
Cassandra Wilson - Blue Light 'Til Dawn
Drinking: Nothing
- "You Don't Know What Love Is": Originally written by Don Raye and Gene De Paul. Cassandra's voice is like the bluesiest blend of Tracy Chapman and Nina Simone, it's haunting! The vocals and that crisp guitar in the back of the mix make this song pop. It features an excellent viola/violin solo as well. It feels like dealing with a broken heart on a rainy day. Looking at the lyrics, they are painting a picture that every memory is tearing open wounds that are trying to heal: "You don't know how lips hurt, until you're kissed and had to pay the cost," or "You don't know how hearts burn for a love that cannot live yet never dies." It's some heavy stuff.
- "Come On In My Kitchen": This song was originally written by Robert Johnson. A classic blues sound with some modern funky beats acting as the backbone, this is a fun track with a great swinging feel to it. The accordion is a nice touch that brings it back to a country/folk feel at times. It doesn't hit quite as hard, or burn as hot as that opening track, but it's certainly enjoyable.
- "Tell You You'll Wait For Me": Originally written by Charles Brown and Oscar Moore. This song has a much more traditional standard Jazz arrangement feel to it, however, it doesn't feel stale which is nice. It evokes a feeling of nostalgia for an older sound. The bass tone is crisp, the voice is smokey dark, which makes this quite enjoyable to listen to. There's a great rhythm to this song and a spacious mix. It feels like your soaked in whiskey and Wilson is crooning in the corner.
- "Children Of The Night": This song was originally written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. It features a very interesting opening. It sounds like the backyard of a farm closing up for the evening. One person is calling out bird cries, and Wilson and the other folks are fading out in the mix like the sun that's setting. Very soon a big drum is hit and someone is yelling like it's dinner time, only musically. Or perhaps they're calling the animals in from the pasture. This track has a bright and exciting feel to it, and I really enjoyed it. It's an amazing blend of jazz and other types of traditional music.
- "Hell Hound On My Trail": This is another song originally penned by Robert Johnson. It features a great punctuated blues intro. That smokey voice works here. I can't tell at first if another person is singing, but it's revealed to be a throaty brass instrument/trumpet, very cool, I should listen to the original. This is a track I'd enjoy while sipping tea on a rainy day and reading a book. It's definitely firing on all cylinders.
- "Black Crow": This song was originally written by Joni Mitchell. Wilson does a great job embodying Mitchell's vocal sound. The song sounds like "Children Of The Night", they built on that sound for this track. It's like standing in a bustling forest. It walks this balance of wild sounds and delicate phrasing so professionally. This isn't my favorite track, but it's not bad, I wouldn't skip it.
- "Sankofa": An original by Cassandra Wilson. Sankofa is "an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana. The literal translation of the word and the symbol is 'it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind'" (1).This song features a delightful blend of Afro/Folk/Gospel music and is an excellent A Capella song. I love it. It tastes like positive nostalgia, which I think rings true of the original meeting of the title.
- "Estrellas": Originally by Cyro Baptista. This was a fun instrumental. It's got some interesting percussion choices that I enjoyed. I'm not in love with the vocals but I do enjoy the counter-rhythm against what the drums are doing.
- "Redbone": An original song by Cassandra Wilson. This has a wonderful contrast from her other self-composed track. The track has a great funk to it without being over-the-top. I can't find lyrics anywhere, but there are aspects like praying every night, living hard, and drinking whiskey every night, which makes for an interesting character. The instruments add some fun interplay with the structure of the song.
- "Tupelo Honey": Originally written by Van Morrison. I could have guessed without notes or the title that this was a Van Morrison track. He's got this style of writing that bleeds through anything. Cassandra Wilson does a great job of overcoming the Van Morrison effect and making this track hers anyways. I love the jazz feel with the folk steel string-guitars, it's a great pairing. The only thing I don't love is the violin solo. It sounds like an electric violin and I'm not sure what it's trying to add to the song, and for me, it didn't fit well into the vibe of the track. Overall though, it was a great track.
- "Blue Light 'Til Dawn": Another original song by Cassandra Wilson. That twangy slide is a really tasty addition to this song. Another perfect Blues/Jazz jam and I wouldn't be shocked to hear this come on regardless if I was in a Jazz bar or a Blues bar. Sadly, I'm not wowed by this song. It's not skip-worthy, but it lacks that pop of previous tracks, and not pop like pop music, but pop like when ingredients come together to create something larger than themselves. All the performances are great though, and the mix is great, there's just something missing that keeps this song from elevating into something truly great. It doesn't quite feel like it belongs on this album though, much like "Night Time In The Switching Yard" off of Warren Zevon's Excitable Boy, it's a good song, but it doesn't feel like it fits the vibe of the album. It's shame too because this is the title track.
- "I Can't Stand The Rain": Originally written by Ann Peebles, Dan Bryant, and Bernie Miller. This has that string buzz taste of some old school blues. This song pops, especially as Wilson starts singing. This has a sullen sound that just works so well. An excellent choice for an album closer. The resonator guitar works great in the mix and makes it sound like that blues workhorse guitar that we all dream of owning one day. Delightful.
Overall Thoughts: There are moments on this album where I'm infatuated, and others where I'm interested but it doesn't quite jive with me, and a few others that sound good but I struggled to pay attention. Cassandra Wilson's voice is amazing though, and I look forward to trying more of her records. Jazzwise Magazine describes Wilson's voice as burnished alto, and I wholeheartedly agree. On the whole, this album is worth checking out. I should have paired this album with some whiskey or some red wine.
Info: This album was released in 1993 on Blue Note Records. It was produced by Craig Street. Blue Light 'Til Dawn features quite the roster of performers: Cassandra Wilson on vocals, Brandon Ross on acoustic guitars and general arrangements, Charlie Burnham on violin, mandocello, and the arrangement for track 11, Tony Cedras on accordion, Olu Dara on coronet, Gib Wharton on pedal steel guitar, Chris Whitley on national resophonic guitar, Kenny Davis on bass and the arrangement on track 3, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, Lance Carter on drums and percussion, Kevin Johnson on percussion, Bill McClellan on drums and percussion, Jeff Haynes on percussion, Cyro Baptista on percussion and the arrangement for tracks 6 and 8, and Vinx on percussion.
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