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Paul Marinaro: Not Quite Yet
ByThe cover of Marinaro's "Not Quite Yet" takes one there as well. The singer, collar open, undone tie and a heavy five o'clock shadow, is spot lit, leaning on a piano (or a bar), looking into the middle distance, as if ruefully reciting the lyrics to "No One Ever Tells You" to himself. It is a wee small hours cover, sans cigarette, of course. Sinatra did record "No One Ever Tells You," although at briefer length and with considerably more irony. And with his inevitable secret weapon, a big band to die for. Marinaro's backing band is pretty good, but Sinatra never worked with anyone other than the best.
Make no mistake, this is not just another Sinatra wannabe, much less an imitator. Marinaro's choice of material is quite different, ranging from "Invitation" to David Bowie. Nat King Cole is an obvious influence as well. Marinaro is quite a good singer. He has an attractive voice, but in his prime, Sinatra had a great one, not to mention the life experience to make any lyrics instantly credible, not to say, autobiographical. Reading Marinaro's biography, one knows he's had plenty of his own to handle including intimations of mortality. That may color what he covers, although why "Taking a Chance on Love" goes on for over seven minutes is a mystery. Marinaro does indeed favor marathon versions of tunes when a listener would prefer 2:53 and out. Still, "On A Wonderful Day Like Today" does not drag, and a better balance of up-tempo tunes may have made for a more interesting performance. Marinaro's arranger, Mike Allemana may try to do a little too much, like the string accompaniment on "That's All." Yes, Nat Cole had strings, but they never got in the way, and Gordon Jenkins was no slouch.
A very good outing, but it will take some studied editing of his arrangements for Marinaro to make a great one. Not quite yet.
Track Listing
Born to Be Blue; Someone To Light Up My Life; Make Me Rainbows; The Angels Have Gone; Remind Me; No One Ever Tells You; Invitation; The Island; Taking a Chance on Love; On A Wonderful Day Like Today; That's All; Searching; I Remember; No Plan.
Personnel
Paul Marinaro
vocalsJohn Tate
bass, acousticGeorge Fludas
drumsMike Allemana
guitarChris Madsen
saxophone, tenorGreg Ward
saxophoneMarques Carroll
trumpetRaphael Crawford
tromboneRajiv Halim
clarinetJim Gailoretto
fluteVictoria Moreira
violinNaomi Culp
violinAmanda Grimm
violaHope DeCelle
celloAlyssa Allgood
vocalsSarah Marie Young
vocalsAlbum information
Title: Not Quite Yet | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: 122 Myrtle Records
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