Rate-O-Rama: This Masquerade

Rate-O-Rama : Songmania is a reader participation game.

About once a week I will publish a Rate-O-Rama article which will feature two or three versions of a popular song.

The object is to listen to each of the music videos provided within the post.

After listening to each video you can rate each song in the comments section below.

(You must be a member to comment. If you are not a member you can join Vocal Media for FREE. You don’t ever have to pay for membership unless you choose to upgrade your membership)

The rating method is easy. Simply give each song a rating of 1 to 100.

(The more you like the song the higher the rating).

If possible, please provide a brief comment explaining the reasoning behind your ratings for each song.

After a week or so I will tally the ratings and in the next Rate-O-Rama post I will announce the winner from the previous post.

The winners will be determined on a scale of averages.

If you wish to receive a notice when the next Rate-O-Rama post is published please mention that you would like a notification in the comments section.

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Last week we featured the glam rock classic "Love is the Drug" as recorded by The Roxy Music (1975), Grace Jones (1980), and The Divinyls (1993).

The following are the average rating for each song:

Roxy Music = 88.8

Grace Jones = 75.2

The Divinyls = 74.3

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The Fourth Edition of Rate-O-Rama features three renditions of the classic jazz cut: "This Masquerade."

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Leon Russell (1972)

"This Masquerade" was written by Leon Russell. Russell was one of the most popular songwriters of the 1970s writing many classic tunes such as "Superstar" and "A Song for You." Russell's own recording featured his raw unfiltered vocals. His arrangement is sparse and atmospheric. Opening with a spacey Hammond organ prelude working its way into an acoustic guitar led jazz reading.

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Carpenters (1973)

This super tight musical arrangement is a delight with a slight Bossa Nova tilt. Richard Carpenter dazzles with a tasty keyboard solo with both flute and oboe solos to follow. Karen Carpenter plays a dual role in this song as she impressed with her perfectly timed jazz chops on the drums. But it is Karen's lead vocal on this fan favorite that takes center stage. She was only 22 years old when she recorded this dark, smokey vocal. At such a young age her voice was well timbered and advanced way beyond her youthful years. One can only imagine what she could have done as a seasoned vocalist at age 40. Unfortunately we will never know.

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George Benson (1976)

After two classic recordings it was finally guitar virtuoso George Benson who had the foresight to release the song as a single. The gamble paid off as it became a huge Top 10 hit in both the US and Canada. While Benson's recording maintains a jazz ambiance his recording leans heavily on an R&B twist opening Leon Russell's classic tune to a whole new audience.

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My Thoughts

Leon Russell: This is tough because I usually go with the original but subsequent recordings of this song are exceptional to the point of outshining Russell's brilliant take on this classic of classics. Some may find his raw voice as a negative. I find it to be a plus. I give master songwriter Leon Russell a 98.

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Carpenters: It is really hard to not appreciate Karen Carpenter's mature and beautifully phrased reading of this song. Then top it off with her masterful jazz drums giving the song it's Bossa Nova feel and it's a win win. For Karen's vocals alone I have to give this 100.

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George Benson: Boy am I ever a huge fan of his guitar work, especially his uptown new boss jazz soul style of the 1960s. George completely reworked the song into an R&B jazz masterpiece which extended the legacy of this song to a new audience. George Benson gets a 99.

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I will be back next week with the results of this Rate-O-Rama Edition.

Last Week's Rate-O-Rama:

With Love, RHC ❤️