“what_the_world_needs_now”
What the World Needs Now
Songs of Burt Bacharach
Big Deal
Many of the most enduring love songs you’ve heard over the past 30 years were penned by Burt Bacharach and his partner, Hal David. Their standards include “Always Something There to Remind Me,” which launched into the pop-music stratosphere after being re-recorded in the ’80s by Naked Eyes, and “I Say a Little Prayer,” currently enjoying massive-hit status after being resurrected in the most memorable scene from the film My Best Friend’s Wedding. The Beatles, The Carpenters, Nancy Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, and BJ Thomas represent an abbreviated list of stars whose careers were seriously buoyed by hits they had covering Bacharach’s songs. On this fine tribute, the Big Deal roster does a terrific job presenting a selection of Bacharach’s better known songs. Though I’d like to know whose idea it was to have Splitsville chant “Video Killed the Radio Star” at the end of their otherwise charming rendition of “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” there are but a few missteps. The Wondermints invoke the spirit of the Lettermen for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” while Cockeyed Ghost gets a little punky with “Walk On By.” The real stunner comes in at the end, with Mitchell Rasor’s toned-down interpretation of “I Say a Little Prayer.” Rasor slightly alters the chorus, adds a few strings and turns this exultant chant into an understated, romantic lullaby. It’s just gorgeous. Burt and Hal would be proud. Big Deal Records, P.O. Box 2072, Peter Stuyvesant Station, New York NY 10009
