First Listen: Kameron Corvet lightens up Drifters classic
(December 27, 2019) The Drifters “This Magic Moment” was the sound of R&B in the pre-1964 music world. It was big orchestration, big voices; what some called the “wall of sound.” Producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller put a lot of elements into that tune. The hired some of the best musicians to play on that session, and brought in an arranger for the strings because the Leiber and Stoller knew they had a singer in Ben K. King who would not be overwhelmed. King, of course, rose to the occasion and delivered a vocal performance that influences and inspires people to this day.
First Listen: Kameron Corvet lightens up Drifters classic
(December 27, 2019) The Drifters “This Magic Moment” was the sound of R&B in the pre-1964 music world. It was big orchestration, big voices; what some called the “wall of sound.” Producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller put a lot of elements into that tune. The hired some of the best musicians to play on that session, and brought in an arranger for the strings because the Leiber and Stoller knew they had a singer in Ben K. King who would not be overwhelmed. King, of course, rose to the occasion and delivered a vocal performance that influences and inspires people to this day.
The Drifters and “This Magic Moment” definitely inspired Kameron Corvet – or more to the point the inspiration came from his grandparents: “I used to live with my grandparents when I was in high-school and I’d always hear them playing various records from the R&B and Gospel genres respectively. This record is one of the hallmark records from that time of my life and since their passing, it reminds me of them and their tremendous influence on me. Recording my version allows me to honor them and the magic of the song itself.”
With that background, Corvet gives SoulTrackers an interpretation of this soul classic that differs from the original by 180 degrees. Corvet, with his guitar and his buttery tenor that can easily move into falsetto range, takes this version of “This Magic Moment” into an area where he is at his strongest. He strips away the layers of strings, horns and backing vocals, and makes it personal. Where King uses the big sound to declare to the world his love, Corvet makes it personal. One on one. Check out Corvet’s version of “This Magic Moment” here.
By Howard Dukes