Diane Schuur has always had an open mind about the material she covers. While keeping one foot firmly entrenched in the jazz world, she has easily and frequently crossed into the pop side. She’s teamed with B.B. King, covered Billy Joel, and recorded an album of new Barry Manilow songs.
For her Vanguard Records debut, Schuur does something she’s never done. She performs 10 country tunes. The Gathering, her first album in three years, is a bold move that pays off.
It’s always risky when an artist crosses into a new genre. The effort often comes across as dilettantish. Not so for Schuur. She makes these songs her own.
Schuur removes the twang and plays the songs in a smart, straight-ahead manner that showcases her impressive voice and the strength of the lyrics. She also plays piano.
The vinyl version sounds great, but there is no digital download.
The Gathering works because Schuur isn’t trying to make a country album. Instead, she’s mined songs from the country canon and adapted them into her own expansive style. Nothing sounds out of place.
It’s similar to what Ray Charles’ achieved on his classic Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.
The album opens with a beautiful version of Hank Cochran’s “Why Can’t He Be You,” which was probably always intended as more of a pop number anyway. Cochran wrote Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces” and “She’s Got You,” two of Cline’s more pop-oriented songs.
Another highlight is “Til I Can Make It On My Own.” Tammy Wynette filled the song with grit. Schuur gives it grace with her beautiful voice and soulful touch.
On her jazz and pop recordings, Schuur has often played to her big voice. Throughout the new album, she is more understated, and it works well in conveying the sad emotions that mark many of these songs. At the same, she will still add a well-placed touch of vocal flair to the numbers like she does on Willie Nelson’s “Healing Hands of Time,” which is also boosted by a Kirk Whalum’s sax solo.
Even though she owns a pair of Grammys, Schuur is an underrated artist. The Gathering shows just how good she is no matter what material she performs.
Schuur traveled to Nashville to record the album and worked with a strong team of musicians, including Eddie Bayer on drums, Michael Rhodes on bass, Steve Gibson on guitar, Mike Rojas on Wurlitzer piano, Eric Darken on vibes, and Carmella Ramsey, who provides harmony vocals.
She is also joined by some famed guest musicians, including Alison Krauss, who sings on Cochran’s “Dont Touch Me. Vince Gill, Mark Knopfler, and Larry Carlton also appear on the album that is produced by Steve Buckingham.
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