CONCERT REVIEW
Lucy Kaplansky's emotional spaces
by Seth Rogovoy(NORTH ADAMS, Mass., April 1, 1997) -- A last-minute change brought Lucy Kaplansky to CC's Cafe at North Adams State College on Saturday night, instead of the originally-slated Sloan Wainwright Band. As a result, those in attendance got the chance to enjoy a rare, intimate evening with this nationally-known singer-songwriter who typically headlines at top listening venues like the Iron Horse in Northampton and the Bottom Line in New York. Kaplansky didn't disappoint, either, bringing with her a fine set of songs from her two albums on Red House Records, "The Tide" and "Flesh and Bone," as well as a few unrecorded numbers.
The Chicago native by way of New York City has a knack for writing insinuating melodies that ascend or descend the scale, while underneath bubbles a foundation of resonant, bimodal chords that she picks and plucks percussively on guitar. The contrast between Kaplansky's snakelike melodies -- sung in a voice that ranged from baby-doll innocence to knowing maturity -- and her rhythmic guitar-playing created the tension that powered warm, sensual compositions such as "Scorpion," "This Is Mine" and "Edges," which she performed solo on Saturday night.
"The Thief," one of her best original compositions -- most of which are co-written with her partner, Richard Litvin -- is a beautifully crafted bit of venom, the best putdown song since Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street." It is typical of Kaplansky's best work, which features strongly-drawn portraits of emotional spaces full of the sort of deep conviction tempered with ambiguity one might expect from a psychotherapist -- she is Dr. Kaplansky at her day job.
Kaplansky sang a few tunes by other songwriters, including the Beatles' "I've Just Seen a Face" and Richard Thompson's "Don't Renege On Our Love," both of which she covers on "Flesh and Bone." The former lacked the reckless, forward motion of Paul McCartney's original, and while Kaplansky might have been drawn to it for the contrast in colors it provided, the latter tune better suited her already dark approach.
Kaplansky also delivered two standard-style pop songs written by her father, Irving Kaplansky, a would-be-songwriter-turned-mathematician. One was about the number PI and the other, written in the 1950s, imagined love in outer space. Kaplansky sang them a capella, and in addition to showcasing her father's serious talent as a writer, they also focused attention on the pure beauty of Kaplansky's voice.
[This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on April 1, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
Next Article
Copyright © 1996 Zenn New Media, LLC
