Dreamworks
2003
Here I Am: Isley Meets Burt Bacharach
About This Album
While the collaboration between soul singer supreme Ron Isley and composer and arranger Burt Bacharach does not have the adventurous scope of Bacharach's collaboration with Elvis Costello -- in that the tunes featured here are mostly Bacharach classics -- it is every bit as satisfying. At 62, Isley's voice is sweeter and more resonant than ever. Bacharach's new charts for these songs take into consideration the singer of "Harvest for the World," "Fight the Power," and "For the Love of You." Inside these towering, lush harmonic architectures shimmers Isley's golden throat, adding just that sultry hint of deep soul to the proceedings. It might be difficult to picture Isley fronting a full studio orchestra for "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," but his version of the tune is an altogether different animal than the B.J. Thomas version. The chart is a smoky, Jimmy Scott-styled jazz chart and Isley makes it the last song in the world. Likewise, "The Look of Love" is slightly more uptempo and the horns are warmer, more up front than on the original. The long instrumental interlude is followed by a sweet moan from the singer who falls into the faux bossa tune as if it's three in the morning.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4,5,6,9 and 12)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.