At This Time
Burt Bacharach
Paulinho Da Costa, Billy Childs, Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright
Engineer: Alan Sides,
Producer: Burt Bacharach
Columbia (USA), 2005
1 CD
Catalogue #: 77897
EAN: 0828767789729
UPC: 828767789729
You save: 25%
Personnel include: Burt Bacharach (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); John Pagano, Josie James, Rufus Wainwright, Elvis Costello, Donna Taylor (vocals); Grant Geissman (guitar); Billy Childs (Wurlitzer piano); Ted Perlman (synthesizer, programming); Mike Elizondo (bass instrument); Vinnie Colaiuta, John 'JR' Robinson (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Denaun Porter (loops).
Recording information: Ocean Way, Hollywood, California.
Everything from the dressed-down cover art (Burt Bacharach in sweat pants?) to the collaborations that power the music within (beats and bass loops by Dr. Dre?) indicate that AT THIS TIME is a radical departure for the king of suave, easy-listening pop. "Please Explain," the loungy, trip-hop-inflected opener, with its combination of electronic programming, cool Fender Rhodes, and synthesized instrumentation, sets the tone for the album. The second track, the jazz-drenched "Where Did It Go?" continues the vibe with its string-sweetened groove and saxophone solos, not to mention Bacharach's own strangely moving, half-spoken confessional verses.
Yet Bacharach's trademark handiwork is everywhere, from the charming tenderness of his music and lyrics, to the polish of his arrangements, to the sophistication and expressiveness of his performances. Additionally, AT THIS TIME has striking themes that move beyond Bacharach's usual domain of romance to question politics, war, and the nature of time. Appearances by Elvis Costello ("Who Are These People"), Rufus Wainwright ("Go Ask Shakespeare"), and Dr. Dre ("Danger") help make AT THIS TIME a varied, engaging listen, and prove that Bacharach, far from resting on his laurels, is pushing himself in new directions.
Tracklist
Burt Bacharach
Co-author (with lyricist Hal David) of an extensive string of hits in the '60s, Burt Bacharach is one of the most respected composer/producers in pop history. In Dionne Warwick, Bacharach found a perfect vehicle for his innovations, which fused uncommon rhythms, creative arrangements, and gorgeous melodies, often bringing the sophistication of classical music and jazz to the Top 40 charts. In the '90s, years after the hits dried up, the burgeoning "lounge" music movement provided him with a resurgence in popularity. His late-'90s collaborations with admirer Elvis Costello were widely lauded.
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello arrived at the tail end of punk with short, incendiary tunes about revenge and guilt, and a visual image to match, looking like a pissed-off Buddy Holly. But the pose belied his musical range and lyrical sophistication, and he came to be recognized as one of the finest songwriters of his generation. Though he--along with his backing band, the Attractions--helped spark the new wave of the late 1970s, subsequent decades found Costello venturing into everything from country to neo-classical, proving himself a true eclectic and consummate craftsman.
Rufus Wainwright
Although Rufus Wainwright is the son of singer-songwriters Loudon Wainwright and Kate McGarrigle, since the 1990s he has firmly established his own musical presence. Though he's an introspective troubadour, he looks back beyond the folk and rock influences of his parents to the golden age of pop songwriting à la Cole Porter and the Gershwins. His keening, diva-manqué vocals and elegantly melodic compositions are as far from "rock" as any pop-based music can be. If he has any antecedents in the pop world, they would be similarly quirky L.A. songwriters of a previous era such as Van Dyke Parks (who co-produced Wainwright's debut album) and Randy Newman. His open homosexuality has endeared him to many in the gay community.
