REVIEW: Thurl Bailey does it all — from the Jazz to R&B
When most people think of Thurl “Big T” Bailey, they think of basketball. I know I did. But Bailey’s career has taken quite the twist.
He’s now a musician.
Bailey performed a CD release concert at Thanksgiving Point on Sept. 13 for his new album I’m Not the Same (XXXXX italics XXXXX).
I’ll be honest. I went to the concert more out of curiosity than anything else. I’d never heard any of his music before. In fact, I didn’t even know he sang – and wanted to see if he could sing and what kind of music it would be.
His songs were something along the lines of Rhythm and Blues with a little soul, and most of them are love songs.
The ex-NBA player talked about his dilemma in deciding which genre of music he wanted to sing.
“I love all kinds of music, from country to rock ‘n’ roll,” he said. “I thought about singing country for a while, but there are not a lot of 6’11” black guys singing country.
“This music you hear tonight is from the soul, and I hope you enjoy it,” he said.
His music did seem to come from his soul, and I was really impressed by his great voice, something I didn’t expect. But his love songs seemed to get repetitive after awhile.
The concert had its ups and downs. Some of Bailey’s jokes really got me laughing, but some of his dancers’ moves were almost more than I could handle.
Bailey performed both new and old songs. Personally, I enjoyed the old ones because I knew the words. Though I enjoyed his tribute to the victims of Sept. 11, which was original.
“I think we all grew from that experience,” he said. “We all still mourn for those who are lost.”
I also liked “It’s the Way.” Dumb title, but decent song. Bailey said this one was his favorite.
“This is not only my favorite, but it’s also my wife’s favorite,” he said. “Guys, you’ll notice that when it’s your wife’s, it’s your favorite.”
Overall, I was impressed with how nice his voice is, but the variety and presentation were somewhat lacking. I can only take so many love songs in one dosage.
Bailey’s first album was Faith in Your Heart (XXXXXX), which was released in May 1999. It was followed by his Christmas 2001 album, The Gift of Christmas (XXXX).
He said he’s wanted to sing for a long time and was glad he was getting the chance.
“It’s just really nice to do something that you love to do and to be in a place where you’re supposed to be,” he said.
I enjoyed Bailey’s voice, and his music was decent. But I don’t know that his music has what it takes to live longer than his basketball fame will allow it. He seemed to really enjoy performing, however, so more power to him.
Katrina is a senior majoring in communications. Comments can be sent to kcartwright@cc.usu.edu