Marianne Faithfull - Give My Love to London

  by Lisa Torem

published: 14 / 11 / 2014

---

Review

Marianne Faithfull’s ‘Give My Love to London, which’ celebrates the 50th anniversary of her recording career, features some incredible songwriting. That career was launched by her intoxicating rendition of ‘As Tears Go By’, a song penned by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the 1960s at only 17-years-old. ‘Give My Love to London’ was produced by Rob Ellis and Dimitri Tikovoi and is enhanced by a host of acclaimed songwriters. It is a deeply emotional collection of eleven songs. Faithfull, with her demonstrative contralto, muses on the sorry state of the modern world, lost loves and strung out innocents. The arrangements are mature, majestic and tailored to suit her husky timbre. Her voice is so distinctive that you will either adore it or feel queasy from it but you cannot ignore its impact. The title song is compelling enough to introduce its predecessors. Roger Water’s ‘Sparrows Will Sing’ is fiercely and hellishly interpreted. The skittish, jagged rhythms and modal melody are brilliant. And what of a “new generation?” “They can not be seduced by candy floss of techno hell.” ‘True Lies’ is structured in a very old-school way, as in the tradition of Cat Stevens with piano hovering below the vocals in the most convincing way. “A veil over my eyes/I never knew the real you.” This unforgettable ballad was co-written with Ed Harcourt in the tradition of Nick Cave and Jeff Buckley. ‘Love More or Less’ is somehow tranquil but potent. Faithfull begs, ‘Don’t shrug it off/Don’t throw it away.’ ‘Late Victorian Holocaust’, despite its perplexing title, is pretty straightforward and dramatic in imagery. “My dreams are yours to keep,” she promises. Written about children engaged in a druggie haze, her concern is heartfelt. ‘The Price of Love’ is a screeching, blues harp epic. “Drink all you can but you won’t forget her—This is the “price of love.” The sentiment is drilled into your consciousness with a heavy beat and insistent hook. The blues harp races around Faithfull’s voice like a petulant toddler. With Anna Calvi, Faithfull wrote ‘Falling Back’—It is tender and speaks concisely of vulnerability. “Too many hearts have never seen love’s face,” Faithfull sings with complete empathy. ‘Deep Water’ is another song full of conviction with strong, direct lyrics, this time set against an undulating piano and lofty strings. Co-written with Patrick Leonard, ‘Mother Wolf’ explodes with dark, steaming tension. The song expresses Faithfull’s disappointment in the current state of the world. “We are the free people/We do not kill for pleasure,” she rants. The heaving instrumental outro confirms her angst. Leonard Cohen’s ‘Going Home’ finds Faithfull speaking to us in hushed tones over a parade of keys. It flows like a spiritual and exudes melancholia like much of Cohen’s inspiring cannon. The surprise chorus deepens the experience. ‘I Get Along Without You Very Well’ is an old standard written by Hoagy Carmichael and recorded previously by Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Krall, more recently, and inspired by Jane Brown Thompson’s poem. The tear-stained theme is garnished with erratic strings. Close your eyes. Enjoy the mellow vibe it imbues.

Track Listing:-

1 Give My Love To London
2 Sparrows Will Sing
3 True Lies
4 Love More Or Less
5 Late Victorian Holocaust
6 The Price of Love
7 Falling Back
8 Deep Water
9 Mother Wolf
10 Going Home
11 I Get Along Without You Very We

Band Links:-

http://www.mariannefaithfull.org.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/mariannefaith
https://twitter.com/faithfull_m

Label Links:-

http://www.dramatico.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Dramatico
https://twitter.com/DramaticoRecs
https://www.youtube.com/user/Dramatico