One of Australia's most popular and acclaimed singer/songwriters since the '80s,
Paul Kelly has practically nothing to prove, but admirably he's still eager to try new things.
Paul Grabowsky is among the Antipodes' most celebrated jazz pianists, and when he was asked to stage a series of concerts in which he would perform with vocalists he admired, he invited
Kelly to join him for one of the shows. They were happy with how the performance worked out, and chose to re-create it in a recording studio over the space of three days. 2020's
Please Leave Your Light On features ten numbers from
Kelly's songbook, along with one new song ("True to You") and one cover (
Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye"), all sung by
Kelly with only
Grabowsky's spare piano arrangements for company (except for a bit of harmonica on "If I Could Start Again Today"). In
Grabowsky's hands,
Kelly's songs sound like contemporary standards, and that suits them well; his feel for the music recognizes the qualities of
Kelly's melodies even as he recasts them into a different but respectful form. In the quietude of these surroundings,
Kelly's phrasing is strong yet subtle, showing an impressive emotional range and no hint of unnecessary force, with a full understanding of how to best communicate his stories. The piano work is every bit as impressive as the vocals, leaving more than enough room for
Kelly's voice but carrying his melodies with an artful touch, uncluttered and all the more eloquent for it. Best of all, the piano-and-voice format doesn't blunt the edges of the songs, and if this isn't rock by any means, "Time and Tide" and "Winter Coat" haven't lost their bite in the translation.
Kelly and
Grabowsky have said they had the collaborations between
Frank Sinatra &
Nelson Riddle and
Tony Bennett &
Bill Evans in mind while working on this project, and as grand as that may sound, the comparison isn't so far off. The intuitive respect and interplay between the singer and the accompanist on
Please Leave Your Light On is masterful, and this is an unexpected triumph for them both. ~ Mark Deming
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