Review Summary: A distinguished incursion into the mysterious side of pop, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's collaborative effort is an enchanting masterwork of musical mystique.
The duet albums aren’t exactly my musical preference. The majority of duet albums miss a strong stylistic expression, frequently falling into a cheesy sound and losing their conceptual edge. "Nancy and Lee," the collaborative effort between Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, isn’t such a forgettable act, being one of the best combinations of classic 60s pop motifs and psychedelic affinities. Also, it’s one of the conceptual bridges between Phil Spector’s pop and the future acid harmonies, defining an era with its splendorous and majestic sound.
Nancy Sinatra was introduced to the music business by her father. He chose a young (but respected) musician to be her guide. Lee Hazlewood was a talented composer and vocalist who already had a suite of hits when he began his collaboration with Nancy. He produced her first efforts, and in 1968, he left the producer’s position and released an album of duets with his protégé. Interpreting previously released songs, the duo shed new light on the originals and ensured them further homogeneity and profundity.
All eleven songs are linked by the same musical mystery provided by Lee's voice, which frequently overshadows Nancy's shallow sound. With this distinctive element, the album strongly escapes the characteristic facile happiness of pop music and appeals to a mystic musical sweetness, which makes it a great incursion into the 60s spirit for everyone.
Contrary to the orchestral pop albums, "Nancy and Lee" rarely feels overpowered by weighty arrangements, and this trait has allowed it to survive over 50 years of conceptual changes. To this day, the album remains respected and it's largely accepted as a pop masterwork, its charm resisting the ever-changing tastes of listeners.
From the beginning, it feels like a modern return to early sixties pop music. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", a standard composed by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weill, encompasses all the conceptual pylons of Lee Hazlewood’s music: the regal arrangements and deep vocal delivery. The orchestra smoothly enunciates the musical structure, and Lee’s voice simply amazes from the first notes. The listener is surrounded by a deep calm and an atmospheric timbre, the song expressing a soundscape full of esoterism and musical spell.
"My Elusive Dreams" blends pop-infused harmonies with a country touch that made it widely known in both country and pop scenes. A reinterpretation of the classic country topics, "My Elusive Dreams," wins you over after multiple listens, when you finally discern the dialogue’s tender vibration.
Due to its novelty spirit, "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman" constitutes a moment of respiro between the highly melodic "My Elusive Dreams" and the magical "Summer Wine." It's a lighthearted, humorous song that showcases Nancy's crystalline voice.
"Summer Wine" is the album’s peak. It combines a mysterious melodic line with metaphoric lyrics, creating a mystical definition of a "magical hangover." Like an elegant hallucination, the song has a multivalent style that directs a parade of nuances and musical passages, a horn section taken from "James Bond’s Theme” accentuating the story’s confusion.
A fairy tale balladry conducts "Storybook Children," a suave moment which combines the echoes of "My Elusive Dreams" with the country-pop spirit that crowned Lee Hazlewood’s career. "Sundown, Sundown" will finish the album’s first side with a memorable refrain. Due to the song’s accessibility, it will be included in the second duet album between Nancy and Lee, another vivacious (and more dynamic) take on this kind of pop.
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"Jackson" is one of the album’s hits and a joyous rockabilly moment. Profoundly original and emphatically interpreted, it relates in its humorous approach with "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman" and "Sundown, Sundown".
With "Some Velvet Mornings," the album returns to the sumptuous character of "Summer Wine." The fantasy-inspired amalgam of Greek mythology, "Book of the Dead", and the idea of resurrection changed the stylistic rules and amplified the album's distinctive voice. Truly breathtaking, "Some Velvet Mornings" resonated in the décor of multiple genres, inspiring currents ranging from the Berlin School (Klaus Schulze citing the song on "Blackdance") to death metal (Entombed making a cover).
"Sand" totally escapes the facile connotations of "sunshine pop." Another moment when the metaphor is the poetic key, "Sand," is followed by the equally spellbinding folk song "Lady Bird." Like a return to reality, "I've Been Down So Long" ends the album in a joking tone, the final dialogue between the two singers alluding to the good-natured spirit of country music and leaving the listener with an impression of joyous mystery.
"Nancy And Lee" ranks among the highest peaks of the sixties pop. An extrapolation of classic pop motifs and a fascinating mix of traditional and modern sonorities, the record creates its musical space and shows a splendorous collaboration between a musical mastermind and a really sweet voice. So, "Nancy and Lee" affirms an innovative approach over a dated sound. This is one of the reasons why it receives continuous recognition: it's not just a tender memory of a bygone era, but a still resonant work that gains more and more appraisal over time.
