Nancy & Lee Again
Light in the Attic Records, 2023
:
:
:
The years that elapsed between Nancy & Lee (1968) and the follow-up Nancy & Lee Again (1972) saw a lot of change for the duo. Sinatra’s star faded and she gradually retreated from the spotlight, while Hazlewood moved to Sweden and cut a series of albums that weren’t popular or well received. Both were looking for two things: to reconnect with an old friend and to possibly squeeze out another hit. Although the album didn’t deliver on the latter, hearing them reconnect and recapture the spirit of their early work is satisfying.
The record is made up of a mix of Hazlewood-penned songs and covers. The blend of their voices and sensibilities is still magical, though, and for the most part, the album is a success. The opening tearjerker “Arkansas Coal (Suite)” leads right into the rip-roaring goof “Big Red Balloon.” There’s a tonal shift that happens throughout the record, with songs as bleak and brutal as their take on Dolly Parton’s “Down from Dover” balancing precariously next to the country novelty track “Did You Ever?” Highlights include “Paris Summer,” which captures the psychedelic swoon of earlier duets, and “Friendship Train,” which could be seen as Hazlewood’s apology to Sinatra for moving to Sweden without so much as a goodbye. Overall, Nancy & Lee Again may not be quite the equal of their first album of duets, but it’s better than if they had never patched things up at all.
[The audio tracks above are from the 2023 reissue by Light in the Attic Records]