Jim Van Slyke: The Sedaka Sessions

The Sedaka Sessions is quite a brave album for Jim Van Slyke to have made this early in his career. After only one album, 2006’s Open Road, Van Slyke decided to tackle the hits of one of pop music’s biggest names, Neil Sedaka. While Sedaka isn’t exactly a household name in the modern era, he has been in the music business for 55 years and has so many Billboard chart-topping singles it’s hard to keep track. So when Sedaka himself claims that “I’ve heard others sing my songs, but nobody has moved me more than Jim,” it is quite the endorsement.

Sedaka’s claims are pretty accurate, as Van Slyke has a voice that is immediately striking. It is fragile and dramatic in a way that brings to mind early Elton John. He is one of the most competent singers in the genre, overshadowing the mostly sparse arrangements on the album’s 15 tracks. Which isn’t to say the instrumental arrangements are weak - the piano work is especially impressive, keeping tracks like the 6-minute medley of “I Wish I Was a Carousel” and “One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round” interesting, despite the lack of any other instruments. Drums and bass make an appearance on a couple tracks, like opener “Love Will Keep Us Together,” which adds a nice dynamic and breaks up the pace of the album.

An album like The Sedaka Sessions runs into issues, however, when it is put into perspective with the modern music landscape. The album simply feels dated, as many of these songs will be familiar to anyone who pays attention to pop music. And it’s for a good reason - most of these are classic songs. It’s simply that without any variation or especially modern take on Sedaka’s hits, exactly what purpose an album like this serves is drawn into question. It is certainly a fitting tribute to a great artist, but it doesn’t stand well enough on its own to recommend to people who aren’t already very familiar with Sedaka’s work. Van Slyke is without a doubt an extremely accomplished vocalist, but the end result isn’t really anything particularly captivating to anyone outside this album’s built in audience. And unfortunately for Van Slyke, with pop musics’s current direction towards danceable rhythms and synthesized sounds, that audience seems to be rapidly dwindling.