Reviewer Dr. Wesley Britton: Dr. Britton is the author of four non-fiction books on espionage in literature and the media. Starting in fall 2015, his new six-book science fiction series, The Beta-Earth Chronicles, debuted via BearManor Media.
In 2018, Britton self-published the seventh book in the Chronicles, Alpha Tales 2044, a collection of short stories, many of which first appeared at a number of online venues.
For seven years, he was co-host of online radio’s Dave White Presents where he contributed interviews with a host of entertainment insiders. Before his retirement in 2016, Dr. Britton taught English at Harrisburg Area Community College. Learn more about Dr. Britton at his WEBSITE
Author: Jackie Deshannon
Audio CD (September 27, 2011)
Label: Rockbeat Records
ASIN: B0057OOPX2
Author: Jackie Deshannon
Audio CD (September 27, 2011)
Label: Rockbeat Records
ASIN: B0057OOPX2
We’ve all heard those TV ads promoting albums featuring “the original songs by the original artists!” In recent years, many of those performers who had major hits back in the day are still doing their original songs, but they’re re-working them, usually in scaled-down, more intimate musical settings that reflect changing tastes of both the artist and their audience
In the case of Jackie Deshannon, we’re talking about a singer/songwriter who has participated in many shifts in tastes throughout her career. Even before recording her own hits, she co-wrote songs for the likes of Brenda Lee, The Fleetwoods and the Byrds. She didn’t write her first minor hit, “Needles and Pins,” but saw it covered by a British Invasion band, The Searchers. In 1965, her most famous song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "What the World Needs Now Is Love." But her own compositions fared quite nicely as well, including “Put a Little Love In Your Heart” and “When You Walk in the Room." Others had big hits with her songs, most notably with the 1981 Kim Carne’s interpretation of “Bette Davis Eyes”—a major re-tooling of Deshannon’s original—that resulted in a Grammy for the songwriter. Irma Thomas and Tracey Ullman both scored with Deshannon’s "Breakaway." On and on . . .
All of these songs are
among the 11 selections on Deshannon’s new, acoustic When You
Walk in the Room. Of course, the melodies remain the same as the
originals, no matter if recorded first by Deshannon or others. It’s
a delight to hear Deshannon’s low-register delivery is as strong
and vibrant as it was back in her heyday. But her self-retrospective
is a collection with fresh interpretations, and it all sounds like
she’s performing the set in your living room and not on a remote
stage. The principal instrument is Deshannon’s own guitar, the only
other credited performer being fellow guitarist Steve Luxenberg.
While not entirely a one-woman show, Deshannon even co-produced the
set.
As a result, When You Walk in the Room is a low-key, personal, gentle trip down memory lane with the emphasis on the singer and the song, not lush, poppy orchestra and band backgrounds. There’s almost a demo feel to some of the tracks, especially with the occasional snaps on a snare drum, but this is probably only noticeable to those who have those original versions still stuck in our heads. So this is a “greatest hits revisited” collection that needs to be played several times—at least once to allow the listeners to make our internal compare/contrasts between old and new recordings, and then a second time to simply appreciate where Jackie Deshannon—to borrow a phrase from the old days—is at now. The message hasn’t changed—the world still needs love and Deshannon still knows how to put it in your heart.
