Marianne Faithfull: Strange Weather

I recently heard Marianne Faithfull in an intimate venue with great acoustics, and was mesmerized from start to finish. Not only by that one-of-a-kind, sandpaper-and-velvet voice but also by what she put into every song, each syllable, whether she wrote the tune or was covering someone else’s. For 1987’s Strange Weather, Faithfull, accompanied by a superb band anchored by guitarist Bill Frisell, elected to sing only covers, mostly ballads, from a variety of eras. From a slower rendition of Jagger/ Richards’ “As Tears Go By,” which made her a star at 18, to the superb title track, written for her by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Faithfull is a singer who owns everything she sings. Other highlights: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” an unaccompanied take of Lead Belly’s “I Ain’t Goin’ Down To The Well No More,” “Sign Of Judgment,” Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It With Mine,” Dr. John’s “Hello Stranger,” Jerome Kern’s “Yesterdays,” and Jason and Burton’s “Penthouse Serenade.” ORG’s 45rpm reissue sounds very good, though the original recording is somewhat uneven. Most critically, Faithfull’s vocals are consistently well captured, and there’s air and ambience, with natural instrumental tones and rich textures.