Book Review: Cruel to be Kind: The Life and Music of Nick Lowe, by Will Birch (2019)

The US cover of Cruel to be Kind: The Life and Music of Nick Lowe, by Will Birch, 2019.

The UK cover of Cruel to be Kind, by Will Birch, 2019.

The eternally cool Nick Lowe.

Author and musician Will Birch.

British rocker Nick Lowe gets his due in the excellent 2019 biography Cruel to be Kind: The Life and Music of Nick Lowe, by Will Birch. Birch has known Lowe since the 1970’s, and he makes no bones about the fact that he is a big fan of Lowe’s work. Birch interviewed Lowe numerous times for the biography, and while it’s not an “authorized” biography, it was written with Lowe’s cooperation. (Although it did take Nick a long time to come around to the idea of someone writing a book about him.)

I’m a big Nick Lowe fan, so I’m quite thrilled there’s a biography of him. In December, I was watching a YouTube video of Nick singing “When I Write the Book” with Los Straitjackets at First Avenue in Minneapolis when I thought to myself “It’s too bad Nick will probably never write an autobiography, he’s such a cool guy. I guess that article in Rolling Stone last year will be the piece with the most biographical details in it.” And then, on the YouTube sidebar, I saw there was a conversation with Nick Lowe and Will Birch at the Strand bookstore in New York City. I was shocked that there was a biography of Nick Lowe that had been out for four months before I’d heard about it. 

Cruel to be Kind is a fantastic book for fans of Nick Lowe. There are lots of great stories from throughout Lowe’s fifty-year career in music. There’s also a lot of detail about his childhood, which was spent in some exotic locales, as his father, an officer in the RAF, was transferred from Jordan to Cyprus to Germany. 

One of my favorite tidbits that I learned from Cruel to be Kind is that in the early 1980’s Lowe wrote several songs for possible inclusion in the 1984 movie Top Secret! Sadly, Lowe’s songs didn’t make it into the film. I’ve been a fan of Top Secret! since I was a little kid, as it was written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, the guys who made the 1980 classic Airplane!

Birch is also astute at chronicling Lowe’s transformation from New Wave rocker to the veteran musician who has turned out excellent albums like The Impossible Bird, Dig My Mood, The Convincer, and At My Age. These albums have demonstrated that Lowe has become an even better songwriter as he’s gotten older, a rarity in rock music. 

Not surprisingly, Lowe’s old pal Elvis Costello has one of the best quotes in the book: “There’s something about wearing the clothes that suit you at the age you are. Who would you rather be—Steven Tyler or Nick Lowe? Steven’s a good character, but isn’t that an awful lot of work before you go out in the morning?” (p.305) 

If you’re a fan of Nick Lowe’s, you’ll enjoy learning more about his life in Cruel to be Kind.

Concert Review: Nick Lowe at the Dakota Jazz Club

Nick Lowe at the Dakota Jazz Club, January 3, 2019. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

My first concert of 2019 was one of my favorite people to see live: singer-songwriter extraordinaire Nick Lowe, who performed solo at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis tonight. I’ve seen Nick Lowe in concert several times before, and seeing him perform solo is always a treat. Inevitably, the songs sound somewhat different from the familiar studio versions, but it never feels as though they’re missing anything when Lowe performs them solo. Lowe’s rhythmic guitar playing propels the songs along.

Lowe’s songs are beautifully constructed—there’s not a wasted word or phrase, especially in his songs from the last 25 years or so. Minimalist masterpieces, they say a lot in their brevity. Songs like “I Read a Lot” and “House for Sale” describe experiences vividly in just a few stanzas. Lowe revealed that as he was writing “I Read a Lot” he was imagining Michael Buble singing it. To me, it sounds like a perfect Nick Lowe song. But Lowe has long said that when he writes a song he wants it to sound like it’s a standard, like it’s already been around for ages. 

“People Change,” the concert opener, is one of my favorite songs to explain Lowe’s gift for economy of language. It starts out “Storybook love, made for one another/Now she treats you just like a brother.” In 14 words, Lowe has created an entire story. We get the point immediately, no need for verse upon verse.

Nick looked good, sharply dressed and rail-thin, wearing a white button-down shirt and black slacks, and black dress shoes. Lowe’s shock of pure white hair gives him a distinguished air, as do his black-framed glasses, behind which are a handsome pair of very blue eyes. 

Lowe sang a new song, “Love Starvation,” and looking back at my review of Lowe’s 2016 concert at the Dakota, I recall that he sang some new songs then as well, so perhaps we can hope for a new album in the not-too-distant future? Fingers crossed, anyway. 

Lowe sang a couple of covers, including a lovely version of “Heartbreaker,” written by the Bee Gees for Dionne Warwick, and included on Lowe’s 2018 EP Tokyo Bay. In Lowe’s hands, the song becomes a stripped down cry of anguish. Lowe’s voice is very expressive, and he uses it to great emotional effect, especially on ballads. My wife and my mother both find Lowe’s voice very sexy. (My wife adores Nick’s song “Let’s Stay in and Make Love.”)

I was very pleased that Lowe sang “Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day,” which is one of my favorites of his. Inevitably, “Cruel to be Kind” made an appearance, and after it was done, Nick reprised the catchy chorus and we all sang along loudly, which was a lot of fun. We also got to sing along to the chorus of “When I Write the Book,” one of Lowe’s power pop gems from the band Rockpile. 

Lowe made a funny joke about the “new musicians’ rules going into effect this year: no encores.” (He was kidding, of course.) The first encore concluded with “(What’s So Funny ‘bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” Lowe’s most famous song, which is ironic, since Lowe’s original version, cut with the band Brinsley Schwarz, isn’t that famous. It was Elvis Costello’s 1979 cover version that made the song a classic. And it was Curtis Stigers’ version on the soundtrack of The Bodyguard that netted Lowe a windfall in royalties when he most needed it. Nick came back for a second encore, his beautiful, heartfelt version of Elvis Costello’s “Alison.”

Setlist: 

People Change

Stoplight Roses

Love Starvation

Long Limbed Girl

Has She Got a Friend?

What’s Shakin’ on the Hill

Ragin’ Eyes

The Club

Heartbreaker

Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day

Without Love

I Live on a Battlefield

I Read a Lot

Cruel to be Kind

Heart

Tokyo Bay

House for Sale

Lonely Just Like Me

I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)

When I Write the Book

(What’s So Funny ‘bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

Alison

Concert Review: Elvis Costello and the Imposters at Northrop Auditorium

Poster for the "Look Now and Then" tour, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, 2018.

Last month I saw Elvis Costello and the Imposters live at Northrop Auditorium on the “Look Now and Then” tour. It was an excellent show, as Costello roared through 30 songs during two and a half hours. The songs covered Costello’s entire career, ranging from “Alison” to several songs from Look Now, his new album that came out in October 2018. Costello has forged a career as one of the great songwriters of the rock era. He’s also mystified critics, and occasionally the public, with his stylistic leaps as he’s made albums of country covers, and collaborated with everyone from Paul McCartney, Allen Toussaint, Burt Bacharach, and Anne Sofie von Otter. 

Costello is a passionate live performer, and he remains in excellent voice. Costello’s guitar playing in concert is always a treat, and he took several lengthy solos. The Imposters are a pretty fantastic band, as they are made up of keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, both of whom were in Costello’s backing band the Attractions, and Davey Faragher on bass. The Imposters were also joined by Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee on backing vocals. 

The setlist was full of deep cuts from Costello’s albums, but familiar favorites like “Every Day I Write the Book,” “Veronica,” and “Pump it Up” were scattered throughout as well. All in all, it was a memorable evening spent in the company of one of the greatest songwriters of our time.

Reflections on Allen Toussaint, 1938-2015

Allen Toussaint, 1938-2015.

Me, my wife Pondie, and the great Allen Toussaint, November 9, 2013.

I was greatly saddened to hear that one of my favorite musicians, the warm and brilliant Allen Toussaint, passed away today. He was a truly gifted songwriter, piano player, and ambassador of New Orleans music. Toussaint worked with many great artists, from The Band to Paul McCartney. Toussaint's album with Elvis Costello, "The River in Reverse," is a classic. Allen Toussaint had tons of style and class. He dressed impeccably, but he was always humble and self-effacing. I was lucky enough to see Allen Toussaint live three times at the Dakota Jazz Club, in 2009, 2011, and 2013. I met him after his 2013 concert, and he was a really nice, sweet guy to talk to. I told him that I had seen him three times in concert, and he said he was glad I kept coming back. I'm glad I kept coming back too and that I got to see a giant of American music live. RIP, Mr. Toussaint.

Concert Review: Diana Krall at the Orpheum Theatre

Diana Krall, "Wallflower" album cover, 2015.

Diana Krall, looking lovely as always, in a promo photo for "Wallflower," 2015.

"Did you really just yell out 'Elvis Costello'?"

Diana Krall gave a splendid performance last night at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Krall was in top form on vocals and piano, and she was ably supported by her excellent band, featuring Stuart Duncan on violin and guitar, Anthony Wilson on guitar, Dennis Crouch on bass, Patrick Warren on keyboards, and Karriem Riggins on drums. 

I’ve seen Diana Krall in concert once before, and my review of that 2013 concert at the State Theatre is the most viewed blog post I’ve ever written. I’m not really sure why that review has proved to be so popular. Not to be too self-deprecating about my own writing, but I think it might be so popular because of the pictures that accompany that post, which show Krall at her loveliest on the cover of her 2012 album “Glad Rag Doll.” But regardless of the reason for that review’s popularity, I was looking forward to seeing Diana Krall in concert again. Krall is an excellent live performer, and she has a warm stage presence. She’s also quite funny, and she has a real rapport with her audience. At the beginning of the show, some wiseguy yelled out, “Elvis Costello!” and Krall replied, “Do people go to Elvis Costello concerts and yell out ‘Diana Krall?’” 

The concert started with the gently swinging “We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye,” and moved on to the bluesy “There Ain’t No Sweet Man that’s Worth the Salt of My Tears,” one of my favorite songs of Krall’s. Both songs are from Krall’s excellent 2012 album “Glad Rag Doll.” Krall has a relaxed elegance on stage, as she frequently flips her thick blonde hair out of her eyes as she’s playing.

Krall performed three songs that were connected by a theme of weather, due to the rainy day that she spent in the Twin Cities on Thursday, her day off before the concert. “Just Like a Butterfly That’s Caught in the Rain” and “Let It Rain” were two more superb songs from “Glad Rag Doll.” In the middle of those she played “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” 

As in Krall’s 2013 concert, the Tom Waits song “Temptation” was a showcase for the whole band, with long solos by everyone. Krall started playing the song on an electric piano, before switching to her grand piano. She also played a little of “Bohemian Rhapsody” at one point during her solo. Stuart Duncan played his violin like a mandolin during part of his solo, as he and Anthony Wilson traded licks. Duncan and Wilson’s interplay on the violin and guitar gave the band a 1930’s sound, reminiscent of the gypsy jazz of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, and that gave me the idea that Krall should make an album with her current band of songs associated with Reinhardt. 

After “Temptation,” the rest of the band left the stage and Krall performed a few songs solo, which I thought was a highlight of the evening. When the band returned to the stage, Krall played the first song from her latest album, 2015’s “Wallflower,” which focuses on pop songs from the 1960’s and 1970’s. She sang a nice version of the Mamas and the Papas’ hit “California Dreamin,’” recast to take advantage of her jazzy voice. While Krall sang several songs from the 1970’s throughout the rest of the concert, she only performed one more song from “Wallflower,” the title tune, an obscure 1971 Bob Dylan song. Krall also sang a lovely version of Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate,” which she recorded for a 2012 charity album. She also scored with her cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Amelia,” as Krall’s husky alto is the opposite of Mitchell’s high soprano. Krall should really record another album of songs from the 1970’s, this time with her small group, as opposed to the more orchestrated sound of the “Wallflower” album. Krall is such a strong piano player, and I think it’s a shame she only played piano on three songs on the “Wallflower” album. To close the concert, Krall sang a heartfelt version of her husband’s aching song “Almost Blue,” and a rousing version of the Band’s “Ophelia.” Last night was an excellent show, and more proof that Diana Krall is one of the most talented jazz performers around.

Set list:

We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye

There Ain’t No Sweet Man that’s Worth the Salt of My Tears

Just Like a Butterfly That’s Caught in the Rain

On the Sunny Side of the Street

Let it Rain

Temptation

Let’s Face the Music and Dance-solo

I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter-solo

California Dreamin’

A Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan)

Amelia (Joni Mitchell)

Just You, Just Me

Indeed I Do

Encore:

Wallflower (Bob Dylan)

(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night (Tom Waits)

Almost Blue (Elvis Costello)

Ophelia (The Band)