Tina marks out her new territory

With every man and his dog releasing a covers album these past few years, Tina Arena’s two Songs Of Love & Loss collections stand out from the crowd -” namely because they’re actually, uh, good.
Lovingly recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, both albums have enjoyed deserved success.

Even so, Southern Star wanted to know if Arena was initially worried, releasing her covers collections into such a crowded marketplace.
-œI think you’re worried about releasing an album fucking full stop these days, Arena said, with disarming honesty.
-œTo be frank, I wasn’t ready last year to bring out original material, because I just don’t think people are in the right head space. I’m right, and I know I’m right, she explained.
-œLife has changed very drastically, people are having trouble rubbing two fucking sticks together, and the only disposable dollar today is usually in the gay and lesbian community because they’ve got some funds free.
-œThey do have some freedom, everybody else is bloody paying off their three kids’ mobile phone bills, and broadband, and Playstation and shit like that …
-œNone of them care about music any more. I wasn’t prepared to bring an original record out because I knew that people wouldn’t listen.
While this logic may seem somewhat skewed -” the world economic crisis has been blamed for many things, but its influence on Tina Arena’s recorded output is debatable -” one also detects a hint of jealousy from Arena towards her gay fans.
-œI wish my income was disposable -” it’s not, she sighed.
-œBut that’s my choice, darling. You guys do have that freedom, and it’s fantastic.
She said choosing what went on the album -” gradually whittling a mammoth list of songs down to the final twelve -” wasn’t a complex process.
-œThey were just songs I loved, darling, they were just songs I loved. I didn’t ask myself any questions. I didn’t think -˜commercial’, she insisted.
-œI just thought if I could repay the expenses of this album, which is a pretty expensive little adventure, and I can get to play these songs live, then I’m a very lucky lady. I actually wanted to do it years ago but believe it or not, I couldn’t afford it.
I guess the London Symphony Orchestra don’t come cheap.
-œNot at all. It’s an expensive exercise, but it’s also an essential cultural exercise.
The first Songs Of Love & Loss album was an intriguing mix of crowd-pleasers and more left field selections. The second set continues the trend, with faithful renderings of easy-listening classics (The Carpenters’ Close To You) rubbing shoulders with the likes of Alice Cooper’s power ballad Only Women Bleed.
Arena admitted the thought of covering some of the songs made her nervous.
-œIt’s very hard territory to go to, but if you sit and think too much about it, you’ll scare the pants off yourself and you’ll never have a go. It’s not a question of whose version is better; it’s a tribute to an extraordinary song.
Arena has found herself in a similar position over the years, with a multitude of artists covering her songs. She’s been strangely popular in Nashville, with many of her tunes reborn as country hits by the likes of LeeAnn Rimes and Jo Dee Messina.
-œI understand what it’s like having people cover my songs, and it doesn’t matter how famous or unfamous they are, I’m very humbled by it. I think it’s the highest form of flattery you could imagine.
Speaking of flattery, I felt it my duty to tell Arena that, despite her musical legacy stretching for over two decades, certain gay clubs in Melbourne seem to be stuck on one particularly cheesy song: her 1990 hit I Need Your Body.
-œI knew you were going to bloody say that, she chuckled.

-œWhy doesn’t someone do a great remix of it? If I had the talent to do it, I’d do it myself.
For now, Arena has to prepare for an Australian tour in March, including two dates at the State Theatre in Sydney and two at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. She’s tight-lipped about what fans can expect.
-œI haven’t made the grand decisions yet, I’m not really sure. And even if I knew I wouldn’t give it away. It’s not frickin’ bells, whistles and pyrotechnics. It’ll be an intimate evening with great songs and great stories.

info: Tina Arena plays Sydney’s State Theatre on March 5 & 6 and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on March 27 & 28. Tickets through Ticketmaster.