Arty - have we talked about Res on here? I have no recollection of that. Though, yes, I love Res and think its a shame that her career seemed to have petered out after her first very good (if not great) album. Perhaps Res' problem was that she was a bit too "arty" for mainstream R&B success and a bit too "populist" for alternative/indie success. All those walls have broken down now, though. I think she might have been more successful if she was starting out now. I didn't think much of her 2013 EP, though. It was a bit beige for my taste. As for Tata, I actually do know "I Just Keep..." and, yes, I really like it as well. I hope this doesn't sound unkind, but from what I've seen, she never seemed to quite have that magnetic star power that demands to be center stage, background probably is where she was meant to thrive.
So, while we're waiting for Darlene's final Christmas performance on Letterman, how about we enjoy this performance from her Hairspray days? "River Deep, Mountain High" might be my favorite Phil Spector recording of all time. The incredible rawness of Tina Turner's voice, the crack rhythm section, the massive wall-of-sound of the orchestra, chorus and band in unison, and the way it just builds and builds and builds. It's heaven. But every available live rendition of this song has failed to capture the majesty and the intensity of that original recording - including every Ike & Tina performance I've seen. But, when Darlene performed the number on Letterman with full orchestra and chorus, I got chills. The original will never be equaled, but this comes pretty damn close. Wish there was a higher quality version of this available...
Updated On: 12/18/14 at 10:20 PM