The Absolutely Fabulous Musical Performance of Jane Horrocks:
A Review of Jane Horrocks's Further Adventures of Little
Voice
by Joseph Palis
Jane Horrocks may not be a household name outside of the United Kingdom where she is based, and in some critics'
quarters in New York, but she is an extraordinarily gifted actress who made strong men weak at their knees with her performance in Mike Leigh's Life is Sweet in 1989. She appeared in the cult TV series Absolutely Fabulous, did radio performances in England and appeared as Sally Bowles in the adaptation of Cabaret. And although she provided the voice of one of the chickens in Chicken Run, it is her performance in Mark Herman's small film Little Voice that took full advantage of her outsized talent and uncanny ability to channel the personas of the great singers of the 1950s and 1960s with herself as the medium.
In the film's denouement, Horrocks as LV imitated the voices
of Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey in one
impassioned plea to her mother's boyfriend (played by
Michael Caine). Summoning the ghosts of these formidable
women, she displayed a rich palette of emotional colors from
the gentle coos of Marilyn to a stentorian Bassey and segue
without effort as Judy Garland echoing her famous line in
her Carnegie Hall audience. That single scene may be
unforgettable for most viewers, but it is her proven singing
abilities in the film that will surely bring her closer to
many people where her luminous talent can best be seen.
After the film's album made its way into people's living
rooms, Horrocks came out with a solo album entitled The
Further Adventures of Little Voice -- a release that
endeavoured to showcase her vocal talents in various musical
settings. She will sing by channeling the vocal inflections
of Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Billie
Holiday and Shirley Bassey in songs these singers were not
known to have recorded. The album's photos showed Horrocks
do a Marilyn pout, a Julie London pose, and show an
authentic Garland mannerism.
The songs ranged from jazz staples like "The Best Is Yet To
Come" to Ervin Drake's "It Was A Very Good Year." The
musical accompaniment was topnotch as it recruited the very
best New York session players who were known to have
provided musical accompaniment to some of the great ladies
of jazz. Horrocks showed her range in the first song ("Hello
Dolly") that brought together the five voices of the musical
icons she was paying homage to. It started with the reedy
voice of Billie: "Hell-loww Judy"; and was answered by the
crystalline grandness of Garland: "Well, hello Billie. It is
nice to have you back where you belong." This sequence was
followed by the swoops of Bassey and the croons of Marilyn
and the unmistakable baritone of Dietrich. When the
crescendo of the big-band instrumentation reached fever
pitch, Horrocks quoted the famous lines of Garland and
Marilyn in their movies interspersed with the other ladies'
distinctive vocal mannerisms (of particular interest was
Bassey's jive-like song-speech). Horrocks ended the
cacophonous din with LV's famous "Shut up!" that conjured
schizophrenic patients hearing other voices in their heads.
It was as brilliant as the actual performances of the women
she is channeling. Perhaps even more so when one realizes
that Horrocks provided all the vocal pyrotechnics.
She recorded three duets with three musically disparate
singers/actors: Ewan McGregor, Robbie Williams and Dean
Martin. Ewan McGregor did a creditable "You're Just in Love"
from Annie Get Your Gun while Horrocks was singing in her
Bassey persona. Rock singer Robbie Williams sounded
anachronistic at first and a tad out of place, but later on
dissolved with Horrocks in the musical interplay. Dean
Martin's honeyed croon proved that you can't go wrong with a
singing veteran whose familiarity with the songs is evident
in the subtler change in vocal dynamics.
But Horrocks is the obvious gem and star of this recording.
She seamlessly enters the skin of Marilyn and sing songs not
usually associated with the former Norma Jean Baker. The
listener will wonder how much of Marilyn's vocal
particularities Horrocks mastered. She can sustain a ballad
channeling Dietrich's husky contralto ranges and
effortlessly slide to Lady Day's raspy understatements.
Horrocks made the transition so skillful and discreet one
feels that you are listening to the great singers
themselves, which can sometimes be a problem. Horrocks'
dexterous imitation makes you remember the singers more than
the artist whose inch-perfect delivery will make one forget
it is her record. But the delight is reimagining how your
favorite songs would sound in your favorite singers' known
vocal qualities.
An exciting parallel: singer Madeleine Peyroux in her 1996
album, sounded exactly like Billie Holiday. It was reported
that in a Carnegie Hall concert, she shocked the audience by
her consistent Lady Day vocals that when the concert was
over, the audience was convinced it was no longer
impersonation but actually hearing how Billie sang songs
like "La Vie En Rose." Sadly, Peyroux is no longer waxing
records despite her innate musicianship and keen
understanding of songs. Perhaps, people would rather listen
to Billie than her modern incarnation.
Peyroux may no longer be active in recording, but it is
refreshing to know that Horrocks is still with us and will
hopefully make more records in the future. As always, the
pleasure is hearing and discovering how songs (even modern
ones) sound in the immortal vocal affectations of the
immortal singers the previous century ever produced with
Horrocks as the medium. A musical performance of a Horrocks,
just like a Peyroux always showcases the cerebral approach
to making music by summoning the radiance of timeless voices
but in songs they may never even dream of including in their
repertoire. Horrocks is the magic link that can make this
impossible possible.
Issue 7, October 2001 | next article
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