Like An Old Fashioned Waltz

Sound DNA

• Rock

About

1974’s <i>Like an Old Fashioned Waltz</i> grew from two of Sandy Denny’s deepest desires: one, to make an album of the jazz standards she had loved since childhood, and two, to make a rock album as popular as those by Led Zeppelin and The Who, both of which had employed her services as a vocalist. The second dream proved elusive—Denny was too introspective and traditional for the pop charts—but her attempt resulted in the grandest rock songs of her career, especially “Solo,” which is a defining performance. “I've just gone solo,” she sings over Richard Thompson’s electrifying guitar work. “Do you play solo? Ain't life a solo?” While there's something slightly off-kilter about hearing Denny’s voice over '30s standards like “Whispering Grass” and “Until the Real Thing Comes Along,” she exhibits all the qualities of a chanteuse: sexiness and patience, courage and sensitivity. One wishes she’d been given the chance to fully develop that side of her musical personality, but maybe her individualism was too strong for genre work. Denny’s authentic self is best heard on “At the End of the Day,” an achingly sweet love song played with profound melancholy.

via Apple Music

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