Always on the lookout for new and different versions of Jackie’s
songs, just before this edition of JACKIE
went to press, we stumbled, in HMV in St Albans (that’s in the UK), upon the CD
“Cilla in the 70s”, featuring the later recordings of
the cheery Liverpool lass, friend of The Beatles, discovered by Brian Epstein,
who went on to become (and still is) one of the UK’s best-loved TV
personalities. Yes, it’s Cilla Black.
This is a collection of 24 songs, some previously unreleased, including Cilla’s own take on When you walk in the
room, recorded in the mid 70s, and produced by Australian David Mackay.
Now our Cilla has been known to exhibit a certain
grating tone of voice, but here she’s sweetness and light, taking the classic
song a little slower than is usual, with a full orchestral backing, featuring
strings and brass, and some high-up tinkly female
backing singers. It’s very nice indeed, actually.
The rest of the album contains a lot of 70s standards – I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Our
Song etc, and another surprisingly good take on her Fab
Friends’ Across the Universe.
~ Peter Lerner