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Posted by Marc on November 3, 2009, 6:31 am, in reply to "Critical Reception of 'The Performance'"
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Vanya, I agree wholeheartedly with how you have identified DSB's past critical reception. However, I don't think DSB was always in on the joke. I think DSB is probably surprised by the quality of 'The Performance.' I think her instinct has always been to barrel through any song with her trademark gale-force vocalising. She would hurriedly sing the verses and then belt the chorus. That is (was?) the Bassey formula and, of course, it is part of what we all loved about her. I don't know if she thought of herself as an interpreter so much as a performer. She knew only one way to sing any song -- loudly. It must be startling for her to record a song that tells a story like "Girl From Tiger Bay" that offers her no opportunity to bellow at the climax. All the way back to her 1960s recording of "Call Me" it was clear that she had a rich, expressive 'quiet range' that she never used. It is such a revelation to have songs like "Tiger Bay" and "This Time" mixed in along with the more traditional sounding 'belting' songs. I am very impressed that at this stage in her half-century career she can shift gears with such poise that it appears as if she always knew she could do it.
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