“Ten years?” Eleanor said, with considerable shock.
“Yep, it was 2009,” Gwen confirmed. She tilted her computer screen towards her friends, showing them clearly the Wikipedia article with the date inscribed on the top.
“Wow,” Eleanor said. “It feels way more recent than that.”
“I’d say it feels longer,” Dania replied. “I mean, when was the last time you thought about Susan Boyle, really?”
Compared to the raucous live performances throughout the evening, Dania couldn’t help but feel the slightest tinge of letdown when the pre-recorded 1960s hits came through the speakers as the house lights rose. She longed for a version of the songs with the same raw power as the songs in The Total Bent had possessed –– but admitted to herself that perhaps that was impossible to capture on record.
“What a gutpunch,” Dania said, glancing up to the illuminated cross at centerstage. Around the stage, musicians were just packing up their instruments, scattered around the stage. Only the two keyboard players –– Frederick Harris and Jermaine Hill –– were listed as members of the cast, but it has been difficult to divorce the remaining quartet of band members from the narrative.
January was not a time to listen to holiday music. Eleanor knew this, and she impulsively glanced around the room to make sure no one could hear through her headphones.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas…
The song had been stuck in her head all day at work –– one of those rough repetitions where she knew she just had to listen to the real song once to push the melody out of her system. It was a specific rendition of the carol, the one performed by John Legend on his just-released holiday album, and featuring the guest vocals (and, one presumed, bassline) of Esperanza Spalding.
Make the yuletide gay…from now on, our troubles will be miles…away…
The slow bossa nova beat slinked its way into the room, sultry and impassioned. As Gwen stood by the stove prepping dinner, she began to involuntarily shift her hips back and forth to the rhythm.
Wrap me up in your love / wrap me up in your love / wrap me up in your love (this Christmas)
The lyrics weren’t as vibrant as the other tracks on the album, but John Legend made for a perfectly effective backdrop during the holiday season. Gwen hummed along.
The Hanslick Girls 