Forgetful Heart
The Crazy Coqs – live stream
Reviewed – 18th June 2021
★★★★
“Jungr is a consummate and very emotional performer”
Leonard Cohen was once asked by Bob Dylan over lunch how long it took him to write ‘Hallelujah’. The songwriter said two years. He then asked Dylan how long it took him to write ‘I and I’, one of Cohen’s favourites of the American. Dylan replied – about fifteen minutes. Whether this is true or not it helped shape the long-standing debate over which of the two iconic songwriters has had more impact on the worlds of music and literature. Especially when Bob Dylan became the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many say it should have been Cohen. Whilst Dylan’s lyrics may appear more complex and thoughtful, the time that Cohen invested in his work betrays just how nuanced and poetic his writings were.
But while these two sides bicker, the rest of us can share, and enjoy, the fact that they both command the same respect, and both share the same bracing power and control over lyrics and melodies. And in life they both shared the same undimmed respect for each other.
This is NOT a review of the two great songsmiths, but it is important to acknowledge their place in the history of music and their sheer skill in mastering the craft of the ‘love song’, which can change the way you think and feel. Deep, truthful, and often self-deprecating. And it is with this trio of attributes that Barb Jungr leads us through a snapshot of their work in an hour-long revue, live at Crazy Coqs – simultaneously streamed as an equally ‘live’ experience.
Jungr’s self-deprecating style is writ large from the off. It’s a technique that only the truly talented can pull off. “I’ve actually forgotten what it is I do” she quips; “I did this last night and it was… it was alright… I’m aiming for better tonight. But trust me, I don’t know what I’m doing”. These throwaway lines that litter the show belie the virtuosity of Jungr’s vocal technique, passion, insight, and innovative reinterpretations of some of Cohen’s and Dylan’s songs. From the opening number; Dylan’s ‘Love Is Just a Four Letter Word’, we are aware of the beauty of her phrasing, and her ability to make the words her own. The familiar becomes unfamiliar which in turn makes the emotions behind the words and melodies more recognisable. Although I realise that probably doesn’t make much sense. Accompanied throughout the evening by the wonderful Jenny Carr on piano, the musical arrangements are subtle yet conspicuous. Again, that doesn’t make sense either – but the two of them onstage make perfect sense of the material.
A pair of Cohen’s songs follow: ‘So Long Marianne’ and ‘What Happened to the Heart?’. A lesser know Dylan track, ‘Isis’, is followed by ‘Forgetful Heart’, the song that gives the show its title, during which Jungr pulls out the harmonica – a moment Dylan would have been proud of. Cohen’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’ is given a sassy, sarcastic, don’t-mess-with-me kind of treatment which is thrillingly refreshing. Jungr admits to being slightly nervous about including that song in the repertoire but explains that Carr persuaded her into it because it’s got that “Leo Sayer bit in it” – a lovely tongue in cheek reference to a past plagiarism lawsuit (you have to be a bit of an anorak to appreciate some of the humour).
‘Dance Me to the End of Love’ has the feel of Jacques Brel’s ‘Funeral Tango’, and we get another sense of the depth Jungr can dig into the original intent of the song. She exposes new meanings that we (and possibly the writers themselves) might not have known were there. She closes the show, without ceremony, with Cohen’s ‘Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye’ – Cohen’s sparse guitar picking replaced by Carr’s haunting piano arpeggios.
It is often difficult to get the full impact of a live show when it is being streamed into your front room, but with Jungr, you get much more than a hint of the live experience. Which is quite a feat. Jungr is a consummate and very emotional performer; and if you can catch this streamed show on demand there’s no doubt that you will be inspired to keep your eyes peeled for news of future live shows. Cohen and Dylan knew how to write the perfect love song – Jungr certainly knows how to sing them.
Reviewed by Jonathan Evans
Forgetful Heart
Live at The Crazy Coqs until 19th June – the live streamed show will be available on demand for a short period. For Barb Jungr concert dates around the UK visit www.barbjungr.co.uk
Reviewed this year by Joe:
Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament | ★★★★ | Online | February 2021
The Picture of Dorian Gray | ★★★★ | Online | March 2021
Bklyn The Musical | ★★★★★ | Online | March 2021
Remembering the Oscars | ★★★ | Online | March 2021
Disenchanted | ★★★ | Online | April 2021
Preludes in Concert | ★★★★★ | Online | May 2021
You Are Here | ★★★★ | Southwark Playhouse | May 2021
Abba Mania | ★★★★ | Shaftesbury Theatre | May 2021
Cruise | ★★★★★ | Duchess Theatre | May 2021
Amélie The Musical | ★★★★ | Criterion Theatre | June 2021
Forever Plaid | ★★★★ | Upstairs at the Gatehouse | June 2021
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