"Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
" (Disney Records Pearl Series,
August 2010) really shouldn't have worked.
After all, Broadway legend George Gershwin is almost the quintessential
New Yorker. Whereas Wilson – as the co-founder of the Beach Boys – is most strongly
associated with the surf-sounds of Southern CaIifornia.
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Which is why – when you initially hear that a cappella
version of "Rhapsody in Blue" (which actually bookends this album) – it kind of
jars to your ear. You're not entirely sure if this is a
you-got-peanut-butter-on-my-chocolate moment or more like
you-got-tuna-in-my-tapioca.
But my advice is to hang in there. Though "The Like in I
Love You" (which is one of two songs on this recording that the Gershwin estate
allowed Wilson to complete) doesn't entirely work and "Summertime" & "I
Loves You Porgy" are more interesting than entertaining, once you get to "I Got
Plenty O' Nuttin'" … This Disney Records Pearl recording then begins to pay off.
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I mean, wait 'til you hear '' 'S Wonderful'' reinterpreted as a bossa nova. Or better yet, ''They
Can't Take That Away From Me'' after it passes through a ''California Girls''-like
filter.
And Wilson (who – for decades now – has claimed
to be a Gershwin fan) clearly had a ball while making this album. You can't
help but smile as you listen to his take on "It Ain't Necessarily So." Which lands every laugh found in Ira Gershwin's
witty lyrics.
Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson
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All rights reserved
And then when you factor in the lushness
of Brian's version of "(Our) Love is Here to Stay," the call-and-response fun
of "They Can't Take That Away From Me" as well as this recording's take on "I
Got Rhythm" (which channels that Beach Boy anthem "Help Me, Rhonda" ) … "Brian
Wilson Reimagines Gershwin" becomes that perfect end-of-Summer album.
In fact, if you're planning on holding a Labor Day party this coming weekend, I
can't think of a better series of songs to program into your iPod. Just avoid
Tracks 2 – 4 and you'll then find that "Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin"
really is kind of 'S Wonderful.