Search - Everything But the Girl :: Night and Day

Ethereal Magic

Justcoz | Brewster, NY USA | 10/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first encounter with EBTG was on a late night radio show back in '82 when Night & Day was first released... the following day I bought the 12" single.The BandEBTG are a duo, Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn, born of jazz roots in the early 80s, they were naking records before they left for college. Ben Watt's minimalist jazz-style guitar and Tracy Thorn's mesmeric alto vocal combined on these songs in a way that they would rarely do on later records (Eden etc). I always wished they had taken this direction more seriously!The SongsNight & Day is a beautful execution of the 40's Cole Porter standard. They take the song in the direction of lost love rather than Deanna Durbin's original sexy vamp. This theme of unrequited love runs through many of Ben Watt's songs.Night & Day is a nice rendition of a good song, but On My Mind on the B Side is the tune with the power to stay with you. The same minimal guitar and voice combine to create a wholly original song, that even today reminds me of adolescent lost love.$20 is a lot for 3 songs, maybe 12 minutes of music, but the intensity of the performance still lingers... 20 years later (is it really that long??)Also check out Pillows and Prayers the Cherry Red sampler CD for On My Mind."