Swing - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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Swing
Soundtrack by Lisa Stansfield
Released May 1999
Recorded recording and mixing:
«Gracieland»
(Rochdale, Lancashire); «Gracieland 2»
(Dublin, Ireland);
«Metropolis»
(London, United Kingdom); mastering:
«Metropolis»
(London, United Kingdom)
Genre white soul / ballad / r'n'b
Length 40:21
Label BMG/Arista
Producer Ian Devaney (music)
Lisa Stansfield (vocals)
Professional reviews
Lisa Stansfield chronology
Lisa Stansfield
(1997)		 Swing
(1999)		 Face Up
(2001)

Swing is the original soundtrack from the 1999 independent film of the same name, Swing, starring as female lead the British singer and - here for the first time - actress Lisa Stansfield, who has written and interpreted most of the new tracks, featuring along with cover versions of evergreens, and previously unreleased instrumental themes. The album includes 15 tracks, 10 of which are sung by Lisa Stansfield, 2 by Georgie Fame, and 3 are instrumental, written and played by Ian Devaney, Stansfield's husband and collaborator, as well as producer and arranger of the whole record. The soundtrack has reached Number 6 in the U.S. Top Jazz Albums Chart, but did not enter the general Billboard Hot 200, nor other charts in other countries, including the UK albums chart.

The soundtrack album came out, in the same year as the film, on Lisa's then label, BMG/Arista, which re-released it - remastered and in digipak - in 2003, at the time of re-release, in deluxe editions, of the artist's whole back catalogue, represented by her first 5 studio albums, which came out again, either separately, with the addition of a number of bonus tracks on each, and in one single package, called The Complete Collection, totally including 15 additional tracks and a bonus disc with more B-sides, rarities and remixes. This multiple collection does not include any of the 15 songs from the original 1999 film soundtrack.

Moreover, the soundtrack album is the only one re-release of Lisa's long playing works not containing any bonus track, and just featuring, in remastered edition, the 15 tracks of the original release, including "Mack the Knife", "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" and the cover of the classic song entitled "It Ain't What You Do", the album highlights, as well as "Gotta Get on This Train" and "I Thought That's What You Liked About Me", the only two tracks Stansfield herself does not sing on (though they were both written by her, along with usual collaborators Ian Devaney and Richard Darbyshire), and which are instead interpreted by Georgie Fame. As mentioned above, the record also features three instrumental tunes, composed and played by Devaney only (the two "Martin's Theme"s and the "Love Theme").

The style of the album, more than the swing the title refers to, seems to be oriented towards white soul and r'n'b, with a lot of room either for Lisa Stansfield's favourite sub-genre, the sentimental ballad, and for syncopated rhythms in perfect Motown tradition, the legendary label which created myths sych as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, as well as lyric-writer Lamont Dozier, here composer of the song entitled "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", along with other two famous authors, Eddie & Brian Holland. The soundtrack also includes the cover of a track by another legendary couple, George & Ira Gershwin, who composed "Our Love Is Here to Stay".

[edit] Track listing

All tracks interpreted by Lisa Stansfield, except #4, #9 (interpreted by Georgie Fame), #5, #8 and #12 (instrumental, played by Ian Devaney).

  1. "It Ain't What You Do" - 2:43 (Sy Oliver/James Young)
  2. "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" - 2:42 (Alex Kramer/Joan Whitney)
  3. "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" - 3:38 (Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland)
  4. "Gotta Get On This Train" - 2:04 (Stansfield/Devaney/Darbyshire)
  5. "Martin's Theme" - 1:24 (Ian Devaney)
  6. "Why Do We Call It Love" - 4:54 (Stansfield/Devaney/Darbyshire)
  7. "Our Love Is Here to Stay" - 2:43 (George & Ira Gershwin)
  8. "Love Theme" - 1:06 (Ian Devaney)
  9. "I Thought That's What You Liked About Me" - 3:54 (Stansfield/Devaney/Darbyshire)
  10. "Watch the Birdie" - 2:25 (Don Raye/Gene Paul)
  11. "The Best Is Yet to Come" - 2:49 (Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh)
  12. "Martin's Theme (Reprise)" - 0:43 (Ian Devaney)
  13. "Blitzkrieg baby" - 2:38 (Fred Fisher/Doris Fisher)
  14. "Two Years Too Blue" - 3:56 (Stansfield/Devaney/Darbyshire/Mead)
  15. "Mack the Knife" - 3:12 (Kurt Weill)

[edit] Credits

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