Thursday, February 12, 2009

There's A Ramshackle Shack . . .

I've really been getting into 1950's rock lately, especially the amazing Wanda Jackson. One song that really showcases her charm is Sparkling Brown Eyes, which is a 1959 cover of a Webb Pierce recording from four years earlier:

Wanda Jackson - Sparkling Brown Eyes (buy album)

The arrangement is great, but what really sells the song is Wanda's "sparkling" vocal. The way she sings "Them two brown eyes" is just killer. Her approach is so different from Webb's that it sounds like a completely different song. For comparison purposes, here's Webb Pierce's version (which is also good):

Webb Pierce - Sparkling Brown Eyes (buy album)

3 comments:

Caitlin Rose said...

paul, I got to see Wanda perform the other night at the 5 spot and I just read this and just wanted to tell you if you ever have a chance to see her live it's totally worth it regardless of what people have said about her live show. She herself sounds exactly as she did back in the day...her band, however, was not so impressive!

Paul said...

Hey Caitlin - Thanks for leaving a comment. I was getting worried about Wanda not having any fans here. She just blows me away. It's so good to hear that she is still in great voice. And thanks for the concert review.

I checked out the current tour schedule. Closest she comes to my Motor City cabin is Bryant, Indiana (200 miles). Might have to make a road trip out of it...

Have a good one!

Anonymous said...

Here's some Wanda love! She played Rockabilly Ruckus this year, as well as last year in Tampa, FL. I missed the show but I've heard she's still incredibly sassy.