"This Mortal Coil’s hauntingly beautiful female vocalist records six of Randy Newman’s lesser known songs, nearly making them all her own."

Louise Rutkowski with the Roland Perrin Trio
6 Songs
(Jock CD)

Even if you don’t know the name, you’ll know the reference: Louise Rutkowski was responsible for This Mortal Coil’s hauntingly beautiful female vocal parts, and now she’s recorded six of Randy Newman’s lesser known songs, nearly making them all her own.

As anyone with ears knows, Randy Newman is a jazz artist chronically misfiled in rock, and Rutkowski pays homage to his true musical leanings. On her first solo effort since 1983’s Sunset Gun, Rutkowski proves to be a capable jazz vocalist, guiding her voice over Newman’s words and adding all the right inflections and slippery phrasings. "The One You Love" becomes a mischievously spirited, slinky ditty powered by playful pizzazz.

Rutkowski slows down and hollows out "Real Emotional Girl," revealing to song’s sad core, while she turns "I Don’t Want to Hear it Anymore" into a morose lullaby delivered from a smoky piano bar; you can almost hear the ice rattling around in the cocktail glasses. The sprightly piano line throughout "Rollin’" sounds as if delivered by Newman himself, but Rutkowski’s steady, gospel-tinged voice provides a sexy veneer previously lacking, and the concluding "I’ll Be Home" is delivered just delicately enough to shatter the heart. Hopefully, 6 Songs is just an initial sample. –Scott D. Lewis

 

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