"PRECIOUS" *IS* THE BLUES

This isn't a film blog, but last weekend I finally saw Precious, and I was pretty shaken by it. Incredible film.  The title character lives the blues, and what I did like about it was that there was a kind of redemption there.

The movie's theme song, "I Can See In Color," by Mary J. Blige, is, to me, a blues song. I said it on The Morning Jolt With Larry Flick on OutQ, but I think of Mary as a blues singer. A soul singer, and a R&B singer, but also a blues singer. I know she might not like that - these days, "blues" is taken to mean Eric Clapton. Music for older people. Predominately white people listen to it these days. But when Mary sings "I Can See In Color," it's blues just like they were sung by Muddy or Wolf or even Robert Johnson. I've posted it before, but here's Mary's performance of the song from the SIRIUS|XM studios. At the end, she really tears it up.

MARY J BLIGE TO PLAY NINA SIMONE IN BIOPIC

I can't wait to see that. Rolling Stone says that she is going to play Nina Simone in a biopic of the legendary singer. I don't think I've seen Mary J. Blige act (other than playing herself on 30 Rock), but I would definitely line up and buy my tickets to see her playing Nina. She conveys pain and angst in her music like very few other singers can. Need proof? Here's a version of her doing "Color" from Precious at the SIRIUS|XM studios (I actually was one of the camera-people, it was pretty heavy being in the room: the band hadn't actually rehearsed the song!

MARY J BLIGE PERFORMS "COLOR"

Watch this video. All the way through, to the end.

At my day job working in the interactive department at SIRIUS XM, I produce a number of videos that we post to our YouTube page and website. Some interviews, some performances. I occasionally operate a camera - not my area of expertise at all, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I've enjoyed shooting some performances, but I think I can retire from that now. Mary J. Blige performing "Color" from the film Precious blew the roof off, I doubt I'll ever film anything that tops that one.

This was filmed as part of our Artist Confidental series, where a SIRIUS XM host interviews the person between performances. What was so interesting about the performance of this particular song was that it was not planned. Artists usually give a pre-planned setlist for TV shows, radio shows, webcasts, etc. This was a live radio broadcast: it was live without a net. During the show, Mary decided to play this song. When she mentioned the song, some of the band members immeadiately looked a bit nervous. They had rehearsed the songs on the set list, not "Color." I was under the impression that the keyboardist in blue was the musical director. When you see him saying something into his mic, it was fed right into the other members in-ear monitors. I couldn't hear him, I think he was actually directing them through the song. Well, watch the video, they killed it. Just an unbelievable performance. I didn't have ear-monitors - so all I could hear was Mary, the bass player, the drummer and the backing singers, no keyboards (they didn't have amps, they were just fed straight into the board). So what I was hearing at the time, was much more stripped down than what you hear in this video. Still, I was stunned and had a lump in my throat.

I have long thought that Mary is one of the best singers out there, and more than that, when she sings something she believes it. She makes you believe it. I think that even if she didn't have an incredible voice, she'd be a great singer just on the strength of her convictions. I think Mary really identified with the title character of Precious. If, as she says, she is truly stronger with each tear, she must be a strong lady.