Carly Captures a Mood

I bought this CD for two reasons. One, I love "Film Noir". Film Noir describes the genre of films that that began in the early 1940's. Usually the film includes such elements as the hopeless love affair, the beautiful often evil woman or the "femme fatal", dark detective offices overlooking busy streets, and a lot of cigarettes. Double Indemnity, the Big Sleep, and The Lady from Shanghai are some of the more recognizable films in the genre. The second reason why I bough this CD was Carly Simon. No, I'm not a huge fan but I realize that she has one of the most amazing and recognizable voices of our time. When I heard she put together this collection of old songs, I was intrigued.

This is a wonderful album. First of all, the music does a good job reflecting the mood and feel of classic film noir. When I hear Carly Simon sings these songs I really get the sense that she is enjoying this. It is as if she is having fun revealing these old tunes. She recorded another collection standards called "My Romance" a few years ago but "Film Noir" is the better album.

Instead of romantic show tunes, the songs on Film Noir are lush but dark and a little sad. "I'm A Fool To Want You", "Laura", and "Don't Smoke In Bed" are songs straight out of the 1940's that tell the story of impossible love. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for happy endings but there's something about these songs that captures a certain mood that intrigues me. "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" would be a hit if it was released as a single. What a wonderful song! At the end of the song you hear what sounds a lot like James Taylor harmonizing with Carly but, nope, it's their son Ben. I've read a number of reviews that panned "Two Sleepy People", a duet with none other than John Travolta. You have to wonder why she chose to do a duet with Travolta. He's not exactly Pavoratti. However, it is a cute song and Travolta isn't bad.

When I bough the CD, I had never heard of the song "Lili Marlene". This is one of those songs that you simply can not get out of your head…and, oddly enough, you don't want to. After falling in love with this song, I had to learn about the origin. I did some research on the web and learned that this song was written during WWI by a German but later became a hit during the second World War. Apparently Hitler became infuriated when the song was translated into English and became a hit with the "enemy". The song, a big hit, by Marlene Dietrich is about two lovers who would meet "out by the barracks underneath the light" before the man would go off to war. A simple lyric with a ton of charm. I love the way Carly Simon carries this tune. Like most of the other songs on this CD, her voice sounds a little more deep than normal.

I can't say this CD is flawless. I can't help but think here duet with Jimmy Webb, "Spring Will Come A Little Late This Year", just doesn't fit with the other songs. It's too bright. I'm still waiting for "Somewhere In The Night" to grow on me.

Like "Lili Marlene", I find myself wanting to hear and learn about the originals. Carly's secret is out with me. She has introduced me to a dozen new but old songs filled with shadows, smoke, and the sound of the ocean crashing on the beach on a moonlit night.