Ian Shaw: A Case of You
Track
A Case of You
Artist
Ian Shaw (vocals, piano)
CD
Drawn to All Things: The Songs of Joni Mitchell (Linn AKD 276)
Recorded: Bunker Studios, Hertfordshire, UK, November 23-30, 2005
Rating: 90/100 (learn more)
It's still way too hard to find Ian Shaw's music. This CD is only available as an expensive import here in the US, and no one thinks to offer a download. In fact, every Shaw CD in my collection had to be shipped across the big pond. Such a shame! Ian Shaw is the best vocalist you've never heard. When I first encountered him at Ronnie Scott's, I became a believer on the spot. Shaw has it all -- great range, radar ears, and real emotional commitment to the songs he sings. He is especially skilled at taking contemporary pop material and jazz-i-fying it without lessening the jazz component or diluting the original vitality of the music. "A Case of You" is not an easy composition to tackle. Joni's words have a quirky way of moving across the beats, and you can easily can get lost in the bar -- especially when you sing the line in the first chorus about getting lost in the bar. (If you don't know the lyrics you're saying huh at this point.) But Shaw puts on this song like a comfy robe he has been wearing for years. A case of you? I'll order two cases. Let's hope they don't fall in the pond.
Reviewer: Ted Gioia
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Tags: joni mitchell covers
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