P.P. Arnold-The New Adventures of...P.P. Arnold

Sometimes when doing yard work, you hear a song streaming over the phone that stops you in your tracks and makes you put down the equipment to check the playlist.  “Baby Blue” by P.P. Arnold was recently one of those halting songs. While I have previously heard this strong album upon its 2019 release, re-encountering  the uplifting, sweeping and lush “Baby Blue” spurred me to revisit this release and further explore Arnold’s back catalog and storied career. "The First Lady of Mod" was at the epicenter of ‘60s Swingin’ London working in the overlapping musical circles of Immediate Records' Andrew Loog Oldham, Mick Jagger and Steve Marriott of the Small Faces. Being an Ikette and contributing backup vocals on the Small Faces’ “Itchycoo Park,” Ike & Tina Turner’s "River Deep, Mountain High" and Del Shannon’s Home & Away album are just a few highlights from that heightened time within a long and legendary musical career.  The New Adventures of...P.P. Arnold is her return to the forefront and first solo album in 51 years! It’s a fitting and appropriate title as these 15 songs express new stages in an already remarkable life. With the aforementioned “Baby Blue” setting the tone, her musical momentum continues with the horn-driven “The Magic Hour” featuring her heartfelt vocals which soar in the top-tier stratosphere of Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love. Her sublime reading of “Different Drum” continues her tradition of rendering some of the ‘60s' most endearing and enduring songs (e.g., “As Tears Go By,” “Angel of the Morning.”) “Daltry Street” presents a microcosmic window into a past scene fastened to a cinematic Bacharach-ian arrangement and delivered with calm, cool and collected vocals reminiscent of Dionne Warwick. The ballad “You Got Me” is the album’s sleeper.  Originally recorded by Jaibi (aka Joan Banks) in 1967 and two years later by the Exciters, “You Got Me,” showcases Arnold’s timeless and stately elegance along with her protean abilities. After its initial splash when it was released in the rushed world of 2019, this expansive comeback album has proven to have lasting reverberations. Not that you would expect anything less than eternal from P.P. Arnold.