“My True Story” delivers the joy of romance with doo-wop music
Aaron Neville “My True Story”
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Aaron Neville’s “My True Story” is a warm and easy-going tribute to doo-wop rock ballads of the 1950s and 1960s.
I know it’s only January but “My True Story” is my pick for romantic CD of the year. The timing of the CD release three weeks before Valentine’s Day is probably not accidental.
Aaron Neville is a New Orleans R&B singer who looks like he has lived a hard life but has a sweet tenor voice.
Neville’s vibrato gives his voice a shimmery translucent sound. He can float above the melody in a way no one else can. The songs on “My True Story” give him a chance to show his talent.
The 12 tracks of “My True Story” reach perfection for me. It’s only rarely I get a new CD that out of the box sounds so great you want to listen to it over and over.
I didn’t have to break-in the CD, make excuses for production issues or ignore the weak songs since there are none. The vocal and instrumental performances are perfect. “My True Story” is simply the sweetest sounding CD I’ve heard in years.
“My True Story” pairs Neville with Stones guitarist Keith Richards and the Grammy Award-winning rock producer and musician Don Was. Richards and Was assembled experienced session musicians and backup singers.
Making of “My True Story”
The Richards/Was arrangements are respectful of the original performers and add modern sensibilities to the songs. Neville and the backup singers are given plenty of room to strut their stuff, rocking the songs to infectious finger snapping and toe tapping beats.
Aaron Neville, Don Was (producer and President of Blue Note Records), Keith Richard (co-producer, guitarist)
Aaron Neville picked the songs from his favorites. “When I was a kid, doo-wop was like medicine to me,” said Neville. “I didn’t care what else was goin’ on in the world as long as I could sing along with Pookie Hudson and The Spaniels, The Flamingos, The Clovers, Sonny Til and The Orioles, Clyde McPhatter.”
Neville sings the songs with authentic feeling. When he sings “Be My Baby” it’s not corny. You feels he means it. In “Tears on My Pillow”, he has mature feelings of loss and longing. The songs are transformed from adolescent puppy love to love songs for today, for us.
“This was a dream session, said Keith Richards “The band fell right into the groove and Aaron sang like an angel. It was an honor!”
You can feel the magic in the recordings. Everything hits the right note. The arrangements and mixing are modern and let the singers, especially Aaron Neville, take front and centre.
The band adds something fresh to each song with tasty arrangements and featured soloists, without making the vocals fight for air. “Ting A Ling” has a low note sax riff. “Be My Baby” features a flute solo. “Gypsy Woman” features two tremolo heavy lead guitars, mixed left and right, laid over a mysterious organ backing.
Holding the CD together are the drumming of New Orleans native George Receli and the Terry Sherr on bass. On “Little Bitty Pretty One”, Receli starts and ends the song with just his kick drum and hand claps. He’s not flashy, just right on the money.
Neville, Keith Richards and Don Was working on “My True Story” in the studio March 2012 (photo Sarah A. Friedman / Jazz Times)
The backup singers share Aaron Neville’s familiar affection for the songs. They knew the songs by heart and recorded more than enough songs for the CD, many in less that 3 takes.
I like my share of driving rock, blues, folk, and Bob Dylan’s nasty songs. “My True Story” is music for the heart and soul. It’s simply gorgeous, transporting you back to the time when the romance of boy-meets-girl was number one. Granted I’m a romantic.
After living in the real world for 5 decades with its inevitable disappointments and failures, Neville gives us the comfort that comes from believing in love and relationships.
Do-wop songs are 50s/60s romantic ballads that featured tenor voices and close harmony backing singers. Some say the style was developed on the street corners of Cincinnati when vocal groups would practice their chops without backing. Doo Wop could be sung a cappella, with the backup singers nonsense doo-wop lyrics substituting for the instruments.
Aaron Neville Doo Wop: My True Story| March 2013 | PBS
PBS took this CD on the road to the Brooklyn Bowl in November 2012. They recorded a special to be broadcast in March 2013. The promo video gives you a taste of how the CD sounds.
Session musicians
- Keith Richards – guitar
- Greg Leisz – guitar (Beck, Sheryl Crow)
- Benmont Tench – organ (founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
- George Receli – drums (Bob Dylan)
- Tony Scherr – bass (Bill Frisell, Norah Jones)
- Charles Neville – saxophone (Neville Brothers)
- Joel Katz, David Johnson and Earl Smith, Jr. – background vocals
Track listing for My True Story
- Money Honey (Jesse A. Stone)
- My True Story (Eugene Pitt & Oscar Waltzer)
- Ruby Baby (Jerry Leiber & Michael Stoller)
- Gypsy Woman (Curtis Mayfield)
- Ting a Ling (Nugetre)
- Be My Baby (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich & Phillip Spector)
- Little Bitty Pretty One (Robert J. Byrd)
- Tears On My Pillow (Sylvester Bradford & Al Lewis)
- Under The Boardwalk (Arthur Resnick & Kenny Young)
- Work With Me Annie (Hank Ballard)
- This Magic Moment / True Love (Medley) (Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman)
- Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams) (John S. Marascalco & George Motola)
“My True Story
Follow Aaron Neville on Twitter, Facebook, his website or read more on Wikipedia. Jazz Times did a 6 page article on “My True Story” in the December 2012 issue. Pick it up on the newsstand or check their website for availability.
EMI Music provided pre-release MP3 files for this review.
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