It’s a shame that some people only know of the late Harry Nilsson via his association with his onetime drinking buddy John Lennon. Sure the two raised more than a few ruckuses in their day, but more importantly, Harry Nilsson, who passed away in 1994, was a gifted singer/songwriter with a multi-octave voice.
He was that rare singer, who could sing high notes that were capable of inducing goose bumps and a songwriter who conveyed a wide range of emotion with his words. Nilsson released some great music during the’70s, including his gut wrenching hit song, “Without You,” a tear jerker of a ballad that was written by Peter Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger. (If you only know Mariah Carey’s version of the song you owe it to yourself to check out Nilsson’s.)
“This is the Town,” is a collection of twenty of Nilsson’s songs as interpreted by a group of contemporary young musicians. These are all independent artists who mostly work under the radar, but what this collection lacks in star power it makes up in talent. Each artist here puts their unique stamp on a Nilsson song, beginning with Langhorne Slim whose version of “Early in the Morning,” serves as the disc’s opening track. Singing in a raw, ragged voice , he puts a bluesy spin on the song which appeared on one of Nilsson’s most commercially successful album’s, “Nilsson Schmilsson.”
Some of the other standouts include Low Cut Connie’s take on the rocker, “Jump Into the Fire,” with lead singer Adam Weiner frantically screaming the line “make each other happy,” alongside some vibrant hand clapping pulsates and frantic piano playing. Like so much of Nilsson’s material, this song manages to be catchy and quirky at the same time.
Dawn Landes sweet, breathy vocals provide a sharp contrast to the biting lyrics of “Your Breakin’ My Heart,” one of the best kiss off songs ever written. Then there is keyboardist Marco Benevento, who for the first time takes a stab at singing on “Are You Sleeping?” revealing that he has been keeping a decent voice under wraps all these years.
Church of Betty gives the aforementioned “Without You,” with a middle eastern flair and Nilsson’s daughter Annie contributes her version of “Gotta Get Up.” (She also provides the album’s artwork. ) Johanna Warren’s pretty voice conveys a lingering sadness in lines like “I spend the night in a chair thing she’ll be there/But she never comes” in the pop gem,“Without Her.” There are some some letdowns here, Tracy Bonham, one of the better known musicians here, doesn’t do justice to “Everybody’s Talkin’, in her over produced version of the song. And in Brian Dewan’s hands the delightful “Coconut” is simple boring. Like most tribute albums the versions here are no replacement for the originals, but if this disc serves to draw some attention to the genius that was Harry Nilsson that it has served its purpose.
