Audio By Carbonatix
Sixty-two-year-old Ronald Isley is nearing the end of an unexpectedly busy year: a handsome reissue of the Isley Brothers’ 1973 LP 3+3; Body Kiss, a slyly persuasive new Isleys disc featuring Ronald and guitarist Ernie (and songwriting from R. Kelly); and a brand-new collaborative CD from Isley and composer/arranger/producer Burt Bacharach titled Here I Am. That last item’s perhaps the most unexpected of all, since the gruffly, smooth-talking Isley is an unusual candidate for the hammy pop-standard trend that’s been gaining steam all year (see recent efforts by Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello, even Cyndi Lauper) and of which Here I Am will certainly be marketed as a part; despite his silken, nearly Al Green-grade delivery, there’s a tension to Isley’s singing that rubs against the buttoned-down allure of something like “The Way You Look Tonight”–it’s why the man had to invent his anti-heroic alter ego Mr. Biggs. Of course, that muted duplicity is perfect for singing music by Bacharach, whose canon is a practical songbook of lushly orchestrated hidden depths. On Here I Am, “A House Is Not a Home” is the big-ticket moment, Isley the veteran loverman milking it for all its multiple-divorcé regret, but a subtly swinging “The Look of Love” is the revelation: I’ve got my doubts that the owner of those talkative eyes is even aware of Mr. Biggs’ feelings.
When news happens, Dallas Observer is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If the Dallas Observer matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
