Rene Marie, not to be missed!

credit: renemarie.com

For a long time I didn't know who Rene Marie was. I didn't know that she'd been singing all her life. Nor did I know that her career didn't really begin until she left her marriage at the urging of her son. She was 40.

What I did know was that every time I heard a song by her, I liked her more. Learning that she was going to be at the Hamilton last week was a no brainer. The show couldn't have been better. It was a mixture of old and new material, standards and originals. It exemplified the risk taking that has marked her career.

She began the set with raunchy version of the title tune of her latest release, Black Lace Freudian Slip. It got everyone clapping and displayed the talents of her rhythm section Kevin Bale, piano, Elias Bailey, bass and Quentin Baxter on drums. She got the audience singing along to Just My Imagination part of her Imagination Medley.  And she thrilled the audience with her version of Skylark.

The highlights of the evening were two new originals: Blessings, a song inspired by her late brother Claude and This Is Not a Protest Song, which she wrote about homelessness. (It can be purchased on her website renemarie.com and all proceeds go directly to National Coalition for the Homeless.) Both songs showcased her talent as a composer.

She concluded with the patriotic medley from her release Voice of My Beautiful Country. If you wanted to sing along to your grandma's version of America the Beautiful or Lift Every Voice and Sing, you would be disappointed. With new instrumentation, it was possible to hear them in a new way. This portion of the program was highlighted by solos by Quentin Baxter and Kevin Bale.

I can't say enough about the talent of these musicians. Returning for an encore, a song about where the time had gone and the hope that we would all meet again. If you haven't seen her, please do. It's a gift that you can give to yourself. Until you catch her live, here is a video of her below. - By Deb Morris

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In the Parlor with Literature, Poetry & Prose: Adrienne Rich

Over the years, I had the privilege of meeting and hearing the poet Adrienne Rich. Her work was and is very important to me. So when she died last year, like many others, I felt that her death was a personal loss. She was a writer of tremendous integrity.

For those of you who don’t know Rich’s work, she was an outspoken artist who championed the equality for all people. More than that, she was equal in her opposition to the ways in which American political culture devalued the citizens of this country while carrying on policies that imperiled people around the globe. In turning down the National Medal of the Arts from President Bill Clinton, she said that art was “incompatible with the cynical politics of this Administration.” She went on to write in her letter declining the award to then NEA chair, Jane Alexander, “The radical disparities of wealth and power in America are widening at a devastating rate. A President cannot meaningfully honor certain token artists while the people at large are so dishonored.”

In more than 25 books of poetry and essays, she courageously challenged the depictions of women, wrote frankly about sexuality, championed the work of other writers, and urged her readers not to be boxed in to a view of the world seen only through the prism of popular media.

Although she produced a large body of work, it is not uncommon when an author dies that there is a resurgence of interest in their work. So it was with great joy that a collection of her work Later Poems: Selected and New 1971-2012 was published at the end of last year. This collection selected by Rich includes work from 12 volumes of poetry from Diving into the Wreck in 1971 to Tonight No Poetry Will Serve, as well as 10 new poems. It is a wonderful addition to any library providing readers with an extensive sampling of the work of one of America’s finest poets.

Here is Rich reading "What Kind of Times Are These."
by Deb Morris

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