Dillenberg's New CD Exudes a Dark Elegance

LA-based cabaret singer Nicole Dillenberg has recently released a new CD which she has chosen to call “The Heart of the Matter.” Her most recent show covered popular music of World War I, so it was something of a surprise to see that the songs on this disc were from the last third of the 20th Century rather than the first. However after a moment's pause, one wasn't surprised really given her wide-range of musical interests. Her alto voice has been described elsewhere as “velvet,” and that will do until a better word springs to mind. What really makes the CD interesting, though, is her rather dark interpretations of pop music classics.

The prime example of this dark elegance is her version of “You Keep Me Hangin' On,” the Holland-Dozier-Holland tune recorded by the Supremes in 1966 – and by damn near the whole world since then. In virtually every other recording, the song is sung rather angrily, as if it expresses hurt high school feelings in the middle of a cafeteria shouting match. This is, of course, a valid approach. However, Ms. Dillenberg plays it differently, a sad slow slant on the song with piano and pain. The result is a much more mature rendition that suggests an emotional dependency of horrific degree. It isn't goth, but it does feel almost creepy.

Similarly, she brings her own style and mood to the Becker and Fagen “Dirty Work,” and to “Trouble,” written and recorded by Coldplay. Perhaps, the difference is one of gender or of age and generation, but her stylings mine a rich vein of emotion that one hadn't noticed in the lyrics in the original recordings.

A few other tracks are worthy of mention. Her choice of Kate Bush's “Be Kind to My Mistakes” is an odd one in that it isn't one of Ms. Bush's finer efforts. At the same time, it fits well with the mood of the other songs on the album, dealing as it does with sexual rejection and sexual incompatibility. James Taylor's “You Can Close Your Eyes” is like much of James Taylor's work – too mellow for its own good most of the time. She dispatches the song with a professional competence that makes the most of a tune written by a musician for whom one has had little time.

One does have a couple quibbles with the collection. While the arrangements by Eli Brueggemann largely work, there are a couple of spots where the backing musicians seem to be out of touch with Ms. Dillenberg's approach, suggesting the occasional lack of communication among the players. Perhaps, too, that is due to the listener's excessive familiarity with other versions of these covers and one must unlearn them. Another minor complaint is that the entire album is music written by others. Ms. Dillenberg has been involved in music for some time (as a gentleman, one declines to say precisely how long), and she possesses a talent as a songsmith herself. One or two pieces by Ms. Dillenberg might not have gone amiss.

Those unfamiliar with Ms. Dillenberg's work are invited to visit www.NicoleDillenberg.com

© Copyright 2009 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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