The Wire
The following appears in
the November 2005 issue.
REMAKE
REMODEL
60 COVER
VERSIONS THAT RATTLE THE STATE OF SONG
DIAMANDA
GALAS
LONELY WOMAN
ORNETTE COLEMAN
1959
And such
vocals. Galas's operatic blues gnaw right at the soul here, a wordless
moan of grief and pain somewhere between the spine tingling ulutatory
howl of a Middle Eastern funeral and distracted humming from a cell at
the asylum.
SEE THAT MY
GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN
BLIND LEMMON JEFFERSON
1928
Accompanied by
her own throbbing, ominous piano , she transforms Jefferson's blues into
an incantation and a warning. She seems to be interpreting the song as
the monologue of a revenant, a vengeful spirit come back to torment the
living who have disobeyed its desires, as conveyed in its title.
© 2005 The Wire
- http://www.thewire.co.uk