Love Me For What I Am - Pascale Style

[YesterdayOnceMore]

It still starts off "We Fell In Love.... but I gotta tell you, this is one sizzling number.

Today, I received "I'll Leave You The Music" which is one of Palma's newly remastered pop CD's, and was it ever worth waiting for. So far, all the songs are (I know you're going to be surprised at what I'm about to say) ; AMAZING! Absolutely wonderful. Works of art, each.

Love Me has a driving beat that won't be denied. Palma sings this song we all know and fell in love with as a beautiful ballad by Carpenters, with the feel she intended for it to have - an upbeat, sassy-styled jazz influenced rock song that will just knock your socks off. It's a busy little number! There is a LOT going on in this song. Palma does a lot of background vocalizing - using her voice just like some of the many other fine instruments you will hear in this song.....a wailing saxophone, that takes the listener on the ride of a lifetime; a trumpet that articulates and punctuates the wonderful music just as Palma does with her voice. It's an awesome listen, time and time again....and I would know because I've listened to it many times already today. It's just a knockout. Palma's voice is so crisp and sensual as she sings this song of love - and when she says "you've got to love me for what I am, for simply being me" by darn, she MEANS it. Exceptionally done, Palma. I am just blown away by the taste in which this song was originally composed. It's no wonder to me Palma, that you were nearly knocked over when you first heard Karen singing it as a slow rock ballad!!! Go figure.

I highly recommend you order this CD when you can. It will NOT disappoint you. More on the CD later, and probably in a different thread, but I had to post and tell you all about this gem. It's one number.

Tim

[Dave]

It has to be fascinating to listen to Palma's interpretation, and then K&R's, because somewhere along the way someone thought "If we arrange this like 'Goodbye to Love', it'll sound 'better' ".

[smoothie2]

???Thanks for the info. Tim...you really are gifted as far as in your description of Palma's music.
It sounds SuperB!..
.....Gotta kick out of your phrase " this is one busy little number"...ha...
Gotta chuckle outta me on that one...

[palmapascale]

Hi everybody! I am, as always, amazed and blessed by the newfound friends and fans on the Carpenter site extraordinaire! I am so tickled by Tim, who has been so inspired to offer up this new thread about my songs. How special this all is for me.

My ARCHIVIST, Tim, is quite astute as a musician, since he is a songwriter himself, so I am proud of all his opinions and reviews, and as you can imagine, delighted to be celebrated in such a complimentary way!!

He told me to tell all of you that what he NOW knows is that the version of LOVE ME FOR WHAT I AM included on my pop C.D. is IN FACT a remake I made a few years ago. My friend and super engineer suggested to me that we cut this song that Karen made so much her own in a VERY DIFFERENT WAY. I had grown so tired of being told how much I sounded like Karen, I couldn't see recording the song as the original demo which was a very slow BALLAD, so we dreamed this uptempo version one night. Yes, my friends, the original was recorded just as Karen did it, piano/vocal, in my mother's living room many years ago. I should make it available just as it was for you fans to hear, so you can understand why the Carpenters and I saw so much eye to eye.

The funny thing is, this uptempo version, with stacks of background vocals ala Manhattan Transfer still sounds exactly like Karen, so who was I fooling? It would be fun for you all to judge for yourself.

Thanks for the great review, Tim! And I agree, I will always love the Ballad Version as the original concept. It was the thing that brought me to Richard and Karen, and now to all of you!

[Rick Henry]

Yes, thank you Tim for the great review. Thank you Palma for an excellent song. I know for sure I would love to hear your original recording of the song more than anything else. I just love this song so much and when I hear Carpenters' recording it's done so well that often times I think it was written especially for Karen to sing. You are truly a gifted songwriter.

[YesterdayOnceMore]

;D ;D

Of course, I'm with you, Rick. I definitely want to hear the original, too. I love the re-invented version - and you'll enjoy this as well - but I want to hear Palma sing the "ballad" version. There are so many places in her songs where Palma does, indeed, sound like Karen. And I couldn't agree more - this song sounds like it was written especially for Karen.

Palma, though you do sound like Karen at points in the reinvented version (as you fondly refer to it) and in many of your other songs, Fred was right about this in that Love Me on I'll Leave You The Music is so different, that it became your own, again, with this rendition. I love it as a jazz shuffle. As the Carpenters fan I am, I wasn't sure I would - but I do! It rocks!
Tim