'Lene Lovich - Live From New York at Studio 54'
(Lene Lovich / DVD / NR / 2007 / MVD)
Overview: The iconic Lene Lovich defined a sound and style that is clearly her own. Starting in 1979 with the hit single "Lucky Number," Lene helped usher in and define the 'new wave' era. Lene's melding of funk, punk, new wave, cabaret and her infectious lyrics are captured on this DVD recorded live in New york in 1981.
DVD Verdict: For those of you like me who had only ever heard Lene perform live until now, you'll be amazed at what a difference it makes when you see her as well as listen to her. Songs you thought you might have had some sort of grasp on take on more depth of meaning as she acts them out. She does more than just sing the songs, she enlivens them with full-scale performances a la musical theatre or opera, but with a damn site more theatricality then either of those mediums is usually capable of producing.
But unlike some of her contemporaries whose work verged towards performance art, Lene was most definitely a musical performer. She invests far too much energy into the musical side of her presentation to be considered anything else. While some might be diverted by her costume and her mannerisms on stage, her voice is what separates her from being just another punk performer.
This DVD includes a rare performance from the always intriguing Lene Lovich, with Thomas Dolby on synthesizer, at Studio 54 in NYC on December 4, 1981. On this night, Lovich projected her strong soprano with brilliance and explored the limitations of her voice in a way other New Wave experimental singers of the time could only dream about. Indeed, her favorite mode is a wild, hiccupy vocal attack that often breaks into semi-improvisatory bird calling! See it to believe it! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, but does not come with any Special Features.
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