By Sean Maunier on January 14, 2021
Six decades into his career and pushing 75, Barry Gibb has far from exhausted his creative prowess. The last surviving Bee Gees brother’s latest work, Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook Vol. 1 (★★★☆☆), reimagines some of the band’s most well-known songs as a country compilation. Featuring several powerhouse country artists and recorded in Nashville for good measure, the album is the rhetorical answer to anyone who ever wondered what the Bee Gees might sound like as a folksy Americana band.
Bands composed of siblings have a certain magic to them, and there is no replacing the brothers’ iconic three-part harmonies. Wisely, Gibb doesn’t try to replicate that spark, instead making use of a range of unique vocal talents. Greenfields boasts a list of contributors that includes heavyweights like Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, and Dolly Parton, bolstering its country cred but also underscoring that even when covered, Bee Gees songs work best as a team effort.
Despite some stellar performances, particularly from Jason Isbell and Jay Buchanan, the album falls short of its promise. Producer Dave Cobb, notable for giving us the soundtrack for the 2018 remake of A Star is Born, does good work in bringing a sense of flow and consistency, but in doing so overcorrects and robs the tracks of their sense of fun and buoyancy, something that was always absolutely key to the Bee Gees’ appeal.
On its face, Gibb’s choice to reimagine his band’s classic rock and disco stylings as country songs is an odd one, but much of the album is in fact shaped by the music the brothers grew up listening to. The release of Greenfields semi-coincides with How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, the HBOMax documentary released last month that chronicles the brothers’ decades-long career from the very beginning, including their formative years in Australia where, in the 1950s, country music ruled the radio. The film also turns its focus outward onto the cultural forces that the Bee Gees shaped and were in turn shaped by, at one point focusing in on their pivot to disco and their popularity in the underground Black and gay music scenes, and the eventual backlash that followed — including the infamous Disco Demolition Night.
These scenes in particular drive home that there was a time when the Bee Gees were at the forefront of American culture. They accordingly inspired strong feelings all around, receiving both intense admiration and vilification. That strong creative spirit is what’s missing more than anything in Greenfields. It’s not trying to make lightning strike twice, and nor should it necessarily be, but an album conceived by one of the most visionary and influential musicians of the 20th century with an all-star list of collaborators will necessarily come with high expectations attached. The flattening out of some iconic songs and the filler quality of many of the tracks leaves an otherwise solid album lacking.
Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook Vol. 1 is available for streaming and purchase now. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart is available at www.HBO.com.
Read More:
‘Wonder’ review: Shawn Mendes offers a messy coming-of-age moment
By Hugh McIntyre on April 11, 2022 @popbanghugh
For more than 10 years, Emeli Sandé has been charming audiences all around the world with her signature blend of pop, R&B, and adult contemporary sounds, but nowhere is she more popular than in her home country of the U.K.
The singer, songwriter, producer, and piano player typically spaces out her releases to let the art breathe, and now she’s preparing to return with what will surely be another excellent body of work.
Ahead of the release of her new album Let's Say for Instance (coming May 6), read on to learn five things you should know about Ms. Sandé.
1. She’s Been A Star In The U.K. For A Decade
By Hugh McIntyre on May 7, 2022 @popbanghugh
In 2020, Lady Gaga returned to the dance-pop that made her a household name more than a decade ago with her album Chromatica, which produced smashes like "Rain on Me" with Ariana Grande and "Stupid Love."
In 2021, she teamed up with Tony Bennett once more for their second collaborative effort, Love For Sale, which ended up garnering critical praise and bookmarked his incredible career. Now, in 2022, it appears that the superstar is looking to add to her trophy shelf with a possible second Academy Award.
Gaga has shared her new single "Hold My Hand," which was written and produced specifically for the upcoming film Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to the '80s blockbuster Top Gun. The tune arrived on May 3, and with it began what will likely be a months-long campaign to secure another Oscar nomination, and then possibly a second win.
By Sean Maunier on May 9, 2022
For Sofi Tukker, positivity is more a lifestyle than a buzzword. It's hard to believe that four years have elapsed since the Florida-based duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern released their joyous and eclectic debut album.
Whatever growth they have done in the intervening years has clearly done little to dampen the powerful sense of optimism that they have now brought to their sophomore release, WET TENNIS (★★★★☆).
The title is even technically an acronym for "When everyone tries to evolve, nothing negative is safe." Much like the album itself, it's unexpected, almost unbelievably sincere, a little absurd, and probably wouldn't sound right had it come from anyone other than Sofi Tukker.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
Washington's LGBTQ Magazine
Follow Us:
· Facebook
· Twitter
· Flipboard
· YouTube
· Instagram
· RSS News | RSS Scene
Copyright ©2021 Jansi LLC.