1001 Other AlbumsKovacs – Shades of Black (2015, Netherlands)
As randomly chosen by survey[1] on Mastodon, our next spotlight is on number 799 on The List, submitted by @raisedfist.
I started this draft over a week ago, wondering if I could write it without comparing this singer to another singer. But, on this side of the pond, I can barely find any info on Kovacs, i.e., Sharon Kovacs, or any reaction on this, her debut album. And so, let me just say it, knowing I mean it only as a point of reference and not to diminish the ginormous talent that is Kovacs in any way.
Imagine Amy Winehouse’s spirit, resurrected and mixed with the presence and gumption of Asajj Ventress (i.e., one of my most favorite characters in the Star Wars universe). Can you dig it? Kovacs’ soulful voice and lyrics are beautiful, powerful, sexy, cheeky, just on the edge of dangerous. In other words, I’m quite happy to have learned about this artist, I really enjoyed this album, and I’m excited to check out the rest of her work.
And, since we’re in the middle of our month-long run of #BowieADay, I think it’s worth mentioning that Kovacs is a David Bowie fan – indeed, one of the only things I could find on Kovacs is that she joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2023 for a special cover of Bowie’s take on Jacques Brel’s “Amsterdam” (aka “Port of Amsterdam”). For those following our BowieADay listening schedule, today we listened to his covers album, Pin Ups (1973); his cover of “Amsterdam” wasn’t included on the album proper, but was included as the B-side for the album’s “Sorrow” single. Whether before or after checking out Shades of Black, I highly recommend watching the Kovacs/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performance of the tune, at the end of this video (starting at 1:07:50).
Happy listening!
#1001OtherAlbums #2010s #jazz #Kovacs #ListenToThis #music #musicDiscovery #Musodon #Netherlands #RoyalConcertgebouwOrchestra #SharonKovacs #soul
🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘
