From Pop to Jazz: Men Sing the Classics

Clockwise: Boz Scaggs, Rick Astley, Bryan Ferry, and George Michael.

I love having my Saturday night Jazz session, but I must admit to sometimes being unsure if I could offer up anything new. While coming up with nothing for this week, an idea popped into my mind that I quite liked. What if I could post songs from some of my favorite singers from the 1970s and 1980s? After all, many went on to release Jazz discs. And I know exactly where I'd like to start. When I hear the name Boz Scaggs mentioned, I definitely go back to my high school years, when everyone was listening to his music. "It's Over" and "Low Down" were bit hits in 1976, and his amazing "Lido Shuffle" was huge in 1977. When I heard he made an album of Jazz music, I must admit I was intrigued. It seemed to me his voice would be great with the material, and his musicality made for it. To hear him take on a song written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1928 for the Broadway musical 'Funny Face', it is something special. To prove my point, this is Boz Scaggs singing "How Long Has This Been Going On".

"How Long Has This Been Going On" can be found on the album 'But Beautiful: Jazz Standards Volume 1', released by Boz in 2003. You can purchase the album from iTunes and Amazon. Next up, we have one of my favorite artists from the 1980s, Rick Astley. I loved his music back in the day, when he was controlling the charts with hits like "Never Gonna Give You Up" in 1987, along with "Together Forever" and "She Wants To Dance With Me" in 1988. After many years on top of the charts around the world, Astley stepped away from the music business in 1993. About a decade later, he made a comeback, first with Pop, but also with an album of Jazz songs. One of the tracks on the album is "These Foolish Things", a great song with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Jack Strachey in 1936. This is Rick Astley singing "These Foolish Things".

"These Foolish Things" can be found on the album, 'Portrait', release in October of 2005. Unfortunately, you can't purchase the album as a digital download from iTunes and Amazon in the United States. But you can order it as an import CD on Amazon. Few people managed to rule the charts over the course of a couple of decades quite like the amazing George Michael. From his time with Wham!, with the worldwide hit "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" that reached #1 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and just about anywhere else that had music charts in 1984, to his solo career starting in 1987, Michael is still making music with that gorgeous voice of his. I love that he covered "My Baby Just Cares For Me", a jazz standard written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn for the 1930 film version of 'Whoopee!'. He takes it on with a light and sexy feel, and I just love it. This is George Michael with "My Baby Just Cares For Me".

"My Baby Just Cares For Me" can be found on George's 1999 release, 'Songs From The Last Century'. You can purchase the album from iTunes and Amazon. Finally, I thought I would end the post with another of my favorites from the 1970s, Bryan Ferry. I first got to know his music through the band Roxy Music, which had hits like "Love Is The Drug" in 1975, and "More Than This" in 1982. The band was the darling of the critics, both in his native UK, as well as in the US. And I loved them, too. Ferry managed to be the odd bird who somehow balanced being the creative force behind Roxy Music, as well as having a solo career. As a solo artist, Ferry explored a lot of music, classic and original. I chose his cover of "Love Me Or Leave Me", the second song here written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by Gus Kahn. This one was written for the 1928 Broadway show 'Whoopee!', the show that was the basis for the 1930 movie. I enjoyed this live performance by Bryan Ferry of the wonderful song "Love Me Or Leave Me".

"Love Me Or Leave Me" can be found on 'As Time Goes By', released in 1999. You can purchase the album from iTunes and Amazon. So there it is, a quartet of men who had songs on the charts a few decades ago, all of whom were part of the soundtrack of my youth. They all went on to dabble in Jazz, and do a pretty good job at it.

Men Can Really Carry a Torch

Clockwise from upper left: Boz Scaggs; John Stevens; Tony Hadley; and Rick Astley.

While it is true that I usually give my Saturday nights to the ladies who steal our hearts with the gift of song, tonight I thought I would change it up a bit, and give some men a chance to carry the torch, at least for this week. When deciding what direction to go with this thought, and decided to check my own collection, and was struck by an idea, which doesn't happen nearly as often as you'd think. Anyway, what if I were to offer you the music of some amazing guys you might not have realized they made some torch music of their own? Rather than going into more detail, I will begin with one man I loved back in the 1970s, when his Pop music was topping the charts. With songs like "Lowdown", "Lido Shuffle" and "We're All Alone", Boz Scaggs was a big part of the soundtrack to my high school years. His album 'Silk Degrees' was an amazing one, to be sure. But almost 3 decades later, Scaggs released the album 'But Beautiful', which is a wonderful collection of classics, including "For All We Know". This was a popular song published in 1934, with music by J. Fred Coots and lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. It has been recorded by so many, but perhaps best remembered by the Nina Simone version. But here is Bozz Scaggs singing "For All We Know".

A very young John Stevens was a contestant on the thrid season of American Idol, when the producers first discovered how to demonize a contestant. Perhaps some remember his bright red hair, but I remember the wonderful tone of his voice, and a sense of timing that might not be right for Urban Pop, but is made for the standards. In 2005, Stevens released the album 'Red' on the Maverick Record label, co-founded by Madonna. One of the songs off the album was "I Only Have eyes For You", the gorgeous song with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin. The song written in 1934 for the film 'Dames', and introduced by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. But here is John Stevens singing it 70 years later.

I will be out and proud, and tell you I was a bit Rick Astley fan back in the day. His music was everywhere in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The richness of his vice was so special, I couldn't resist it. His dance-friendly Pop songs were fantastic, and I spent a fair share of time at clubs making moves to his music. But like so many, when a new decade brought new flavors in music, Astley was shuffled to the side. But in 2005, Astley released his first album in a while when 'Portrait' came out. I thought it was outrageously good, with Astley taking on some classic songs, putting his own spin on them. An example of that would be his version of "These Foolish Things", the standard written by Eric Maschwitz and Jack Strachey.

Another man whose name came to our attention in the 1980s, Tony Hadley had many hits as the lead singer of Spandau Ballet. His tone was just so nice, and his voice was so crisp and clear, he was just so damned memorable. With songs like "True", he was able to shine. And like many bands from the period, they were unable to capture that success again, and soon they broke up. But Hadley continued singing, both in the studio and in musical theater. And in 2006, he released the album 'Passing Strangers', a Jazzz/Swing album that fit beautifully with his voice. Here he sings "The Good Life", a song written by Sacha Distel and Jack Reardon. The song was published in 1962 and make popular by the great Tony Bennett.

Hope you enjoyed the men tonight! Have a great weekend!

Saturday Night Live with Rick Astley

Through the years: In the 80s, the early 90s, and recently.

Heard non-stop on the radio in the late 80s and early 90s, Rick Astley stepped away from his career in 1993 while he was still on the charts. His early hits were blends of Pop, Dance and R&B music, an earnest UK-Blue-eyed soul that was a hit worldwide. His first single, Never Gonna Give You Up, literally topped the charts all around the world. The album earned double-platinum status in the US. Here he is in a performance from 2005.



In 1991, Astley released his third album, Free.
Cry For Help was the first single, and it made it into the Top 10 in both the US & UK Pop charts. The soulful ballad also made it to #1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. Here he is in a 1991 performance.



The second single from his debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, followed Never Gonna Give You Up to the heights on the charts, making it to the Top 5 on most charts worldwide, save the US, where it was never officially released. Here is a performance of the song recorded in London in 1987, the young man just experiencing his fame.



In 2005, Astley released Portrait, an absolutely gorgeous collection of love songs from years gone by. With a mellow acoustic feel, it beautifully showcased Astley's deep, rich voice, and his ability to connect to the material. This performance of Love Story was recorded in 2006.



In 1988, Rick released his second album, Hold Me In Your Arms. The album recorded gold-level in sales in the US, and platinum in the UK. The first single off the album, She Wants To Dance With Me, continued Astley's string of Top 10 hits, scoring a #6 on both the UK & US singles charts, and topping the US Adult Contemporary chart.



For more on Rick Astley, check out his official website here. Earlier this year, Astley released a new single, Lights Out. The Pop single shows Astley's voice to be as strong as ever. The video showed him to be as handsome as ever, looking great after all these years. You can purchase the song on iTunes here. You can watch the video here.

RePost Worth Another Listen - Rick Astley

This was originally posted August 2, 2009.

I know I might be losing 'cool points' for this, but I really enjoy Rick Astley. I love his voice, did way back when as well. I love music, and am especially fond of great Pop music. And God knows, he did make that. He broke on the music scene in 1987, starting in the UK and working his way around the world. The big hit was Never Gonna Give You Up, and it tore up the charts and was everywhere. It was followed by Together Forever, another pop song with an R&B flavor. I can't imagine how many times I danced to his music on the dance floor at a variety of clubs in several cities.

In 1993, he released the album Body & Soul. I really like that one, especially the song Cry For Help. This CD had the strongest R&B vibe to date, which worked really well with his deep baritone voice. Like many of us during that period, Rick went through many a different haircuts, but always keeping the trademark red color.

In 2005, Rick put out a CD named Portrait, a collection of songs from different eras, all sung wonderfully, with his own spin. I love it, and listen to it still. Again, his voice is perfect for the material, from Nature Boy to to Vincent to the theme from Love Story, Where Do I Begin. I am very fond of his recording of Cry Me A River, with a particularly masculine take on it.

It is said Rick has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, and I certainly can account for a couple of those. In 2008, Rick was awarded the MTV Europe award for Best Act Ever. For more about Rick, visit his website here.

Worth Another Listen - Rick Astley

I know I might be losing 'cool points' for this, but I really enjoy Rick Astley. I love his voice, did way back when as well. I love music, and am especially fond of great Pop music. And God knows, he did make that. He broke on the music scene in 1987, starting in the UK and working his way around the world. The big hit was Never Gonna Give You Up, and it tore up the charts and was everywhere. It was followed by Together Forever, another pop song with an R&B flavor. I can't imagine how many times I danced to his music on the dance floor at a variety of clubs in several cities.

In 1993, he released the album Body & Soul. I really like that one, especially the song Cry For Help. This CD had the strongest R&B vibe to date, which worked really well with his deep baritone voice. Like many of us during that period, Rick went through many a different haircuts, but always keeping the trademark red color.

In 2005, Rick put out a CD named Portrait, a collection of songs from different eras, all sung wonderfully, with his own spin. I love it, and listen to it still. Again, his voice is perfect for the material, from Nature Boy to to Vincent to the theme from Love Story, Where Do I Begin. I am very fond of his recording of Cry Me A River, with a particularly masculine take on it.

It is said Rick has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, and I certainly can account for a couple of those. In 2008, Rick was awarded the MTV Europe award for Best Act Ever. For more about Rick, visit his website here.