"You Asked For It" is American jazz singer Laura Ainsworth's fourth album, the concept of which was to give in to her fans, record the classics they often request live, but that she had up to this point avoided recording, as they might be perceived as being cliched.
That these songs are all well-worn, much covered classics means this album is very much in the lineage of both Alex Chilton and Terry Edwards Cliches albums and as the liner notes point out actually inspired by Julie At Home the 1960 album by Julie London. In the case of all those albums the central idea is to record familiar songs both fairly straight, but with care and effort to emphasize different aspects of the song than you might expect, to allow you to look at these songs with fresh ears.
I love the packaging for this album as I was sent a Japanese import copy (Actually pressed in Taiwan) complete with Obi strip, Lyric sheet in both Japanese and English, a poster with liner notes on the reverse.
The album opens with a sultry version of Cry Me A River the brass section helps to bring more life to this classic, with a Chet Baker influenced trumpet solo from Rodney Booth, with Young Heo's walking bass keeping the beat going, as Laura gets to the sadness at the core of this classic heartbreaker.
All The Things You Are is slightly more strident musically, as the vocals gentle caress the listeners ears enticing you into Laura's world, with super restrained percussion, a very Oscar Peterson piano part from Brian Piper. This is the full version of the song including the first verse that many versions skip.
Goldfinger is such a much covered classic that we all have favorite versions, this has vocals very much along the Shirley Bassey lines, but with almost hushed backing, this is nothing like my favorite version by Tav Falco as this is slinky, seductive with a cocktail lounge feel to it.
Someone To Watch Over Me is taken slowly, as this song of love and desire to have a protector, the slow pace adds emphasis to all the lyrics, giving it an air of sadness, that the protection she seeks has not yet been found, but hopes she has found that comfort and safety against the gently tinkling piano.
Scotch And Soda is a slow cocktail hour drinks order, set to sultry musical and vocal come on, as she wants to feel so high as Noel Johnson gives us a very Wes Montgomery flourish on his guitar as Brian Piper continues to channel Oscar Peterson on the piano.
Laura then sings the full version of As Time Goes By thankfully elevating the song above many of the awful covers of this classic, this echoes Lena Horne, it's gentle sultry intoxication of love through all it's many phases in a long relationship.
Isn't It Romantic changes the original emphasis by having just one singer rather than a whole host of them, as well as having all the verses this feels far more personal than the very familiar original that I heard all the time growing up. Rodney Booths trumpet part is imbued with Chet Baker style sadness but played just a tad faster than Chet would have.
I Can't Get Stared sadly doesn't come with the original dance routine as we go back to the golden days of Hollywood once more and takes us on a trip back to the Wall Street crash, its aftermath as a metaphor for how the love develops. The themes within the lyrics can easily be transposed to more modern crisis.
What'll I Do is the full version of this timeless classic, played slow, deliberate, full of longing for a partner you are far away from. The soft shoe shuffle of Steve Barnes percussion accents things beautifully.
Once Upon A Time may be one of the more recent songs on the album coming from the early 60's but still sounds suitably old, this has the brass section setting the careful punctuation for Laura's slow evocative vocals to reminisce about how happy they once were.
Love Is here To Stay takes George Gershwin's final classic to a very laid back and comfortable place, this playing as with the entire album is always tasteful and restrained but feels full of emotion and understanding as the piano intoxicates again.
The album concludes with Over The Rainbow that opens acapella before the piano comes in, Laura takes this timeless slowly and full of feeling as a wondrous parting adieu.
Find out more at https://lauraainsworth.bandcamp.com/album/you-asked-for-it http://www.lauraainsworth.com/ https://lauraainsworth.hearnow.com/
