Toby and Wayman cover Barry White
Country music star Toby Keith and former-basketball-standout-turned-accomplished-jazz-musician Wayman Tisdale have joined forces to remake the Barry White hit, “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up.”
The cover is included on Tisdale’s eighth album, “Rebound,” which is set for June 3 release on Rendezvous Entertainment, according to a news release.
Tisdale, who was a three-time All-American at the University of Oklahoma and played a dozen years in the NBA, released his first album as a jazz bassist in 1995.
“Rebound” also features performers Dave Koz and Brian Simpson. Tisdale recorded the disc after recovering last year from bone cancer, according to the release.
“This record is definitely a reflection of me and where I’m at today,” Tisdale says in the release.
I managed to get an earful of an early snippet of the Keith-Tisdale collaboration, and after a few listens, it’s really grown on me. It was initially disconcerting to hear Keith’s voice overlaid with the soulful trappings of the seductive song. But Tisdale’s bass is smooth and steady, and Keith’s got a strong baritone to match it. I don’t expect it to eclipse the Barry White’s smoky, beloved version, but fans of Keith – and especially Oklahomans who know and love both Keith and Tisdale - should love it.
Tisdale recounts in the release his initial reaction to Keith’s vocal interpretation: “My mouth was wide open. I could not believe what I was hearing! Toby nails it!”
The former power forward will play two shows Friday night in Tulsa and two shows Sunday night in Oklahoma City.
He will play at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street in Tulsa. For more information, go to www.okjazz.org.
In Oklahoma City, he will play at 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday at the Coca-Cola
Bricktown Events Center, 425 E California. For more info, go to www.okctickets.com.
-BAM
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