Such is the song, “Little Something,” cowritten by Sting and Dominic Miller. Today marks the release of the Official Video of the song as performed by Chicago-based singer/songwriter Carl Giammarese and Chicago native, Lisa McClowry. Despite the scenes portrayed in the video, the duo was never in person during the making of the song, or of the official video.
However, the “together from far away” method of song and video production, today, is almost routine procedure that artists have taken to share music and be creative during the safe, sure, and confining times of the global pandemic of COVID-19. Fortunately for Carl and Lisa, Greg Bizarro of Jaffe Films was the “third talent” behind the scenes, who created the finished video. The perspective shows the duo together in all the scenes of “movie magic.”
It should be noted, though, that the original version of the song was done by Sting and Melody Gardot in exactly the same way—from two different venues altogether. Melody was in Paris fulfilling her final work on an album. She reached out to several star musicians in Paris who she knew were not working their usual schedules yet, to record the music, in a separate setting of their own, an unexpected blessing for the talented professionals waiting to catch a break.
In the magazine Soul & Jazz & Funk, journalist Charles Waring describes Melody Gardot’s voice as “instantly recognizable,” fitting into the distinctive group of Astrud Gilberto and Sarah Vaughn. Said Gardot of the "working at a distance" process: "Up until that point (when producer Jen Jis brought her Sting's track), I had never met Sting; we only met through the music. It’s quite funny, but beautiful in a way to work like this; all that mattered was the music.” The blend of Gardot and Sting seems made for each other, as does the pairing of McClowry with Giammarese.
It’s all about the blend, and clearly these artists have that same sound, in sync with the right feeling for the song. Carl has been a longtime fan of duos such as Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, Pink with Nate Ruess, and as he says, “anything Tony Bennett did with Lady Gaga.”
A quick listen to a few of these songs readily identifies why we resonate as listeners when two singers blend perfectly:
Marvin & Tammi — “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (written by Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson)
Pink ft. Nate Ruess —“Just Give Me a Reason” (written by Pink, Nate Ruess, * Jeff Bhasker)
Steve & Eydie —“This Could Be The Start of Something Big” (written by Steve Allen)
The song by Carl & Lisa, “Little Something” is the second pairing for the singers. In May this year, they released their remake of the first hit by The Buckinghams on Columbia Records, “Don’t You Care” (watch below)
Lisa has just returned from an extensive tour series with an ensemble group she’s performed with for several years. Carl is only now back on the road again leading The Buckinghams on a new concert tour, the first to emerge after proper planning made it possible to tour again under socially safe conditions and constraints. Music is making its way back into the forefront of entertainment for everyone. In the meantime, enjoy a “Little Something” from Lisa McClowry and Carl Giammarese.
Next Story Coming Soon — The Residual Singers
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