Monday, August 24, 2015

My Music Monday

I guess it's a duet?

It's mostly Joe Henry "featuring" his sister-in-law, who you might determine is doing more of a background vocal thing than a straight-up (now tell me) duet.

Oh - and yes, Henry's sister-in-law happens to be Madonna.

I mentioned last month that Henry produced the Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris disk I just reviewed. He's a recording artist in his own right - more rock or Americana than say something is Madge might do.

Oddly, he's probably made more money having songwriting credits on her albums (mostly the last few, which have been lackluster in sales) than he gets for his own work. But volume is the key when it comes to making the doughnuts.

Henry / Madonna's biggest collaboration was her "Don't Tell Me" off her Music disk, which is very different than his song called "Stop". But I'm sure it made him some coin.

"Guilty By Association" is a subdued number, not even written by either of these two, but by Vic Chestnutt, who was paralyzed in the early '80s and died in 2009, about 13 years after this song was released (that's 1996, folks). The song was part of a benefit album to cover Chestnutt's expenses.

The song stays the course. It doesn't build - it just kind of plods along, but not in a bad way. I'm not sure unless someone told you it was Madonna singing on the track that you'd know it was her. I suppose, if you didn't know their relationship, you'd never ever suspect her to collaborate with the likes of Henry.

Nicki Minaj AND Joe Henry?  Madonna IS a renaissance woman!!!!  Is there anyone she won't "sing" with?  Anything she can't do???  I mean, except, you know, sing in tune without the help of pre-recorded vocals and an auto-tuner?

It's not a bad song by most standards, but it is unexpected.

There is no official video, but I'm having a little issue with just the embedded player I've been using always working - so this is the least offensive (read: Madonna oriented) fan video I could find.

(you might have to turn up the volume to actually hear Madge.)


1 comment:

Erik Rubright said...

A new one for me. Although one would have thought they would have made Madge a little less quiet in the song. Weird.