“Sonnet 18” (2016) – Paul Kelly * Written by William Shakespeare (words) and Paul Kelly (music) * Produced by Paul Kelly * 10″ LP: Seven Sonnets and a Song * Label: Gawd Aggie
It’s unexpected but not inconceivable for the Australian workhorse Paul Kelly to step forward with a Shakespeare collection (with a bonus track by Sir Philip Sidney). In the 2012 documentary Stories About Me, Kelly points out, after all, that anything that he (or any other songwriter) is apt to express has already been touched upon in the folios. Still, his intrinsic plainspokenness and the Bard’s floridity don’t suggest an immediate merger.
The memorable one is his treatment of Number 18, arguably Shakespeare’s most famous sonnet (“Shall I Compare Thee…”), and it’s also the only one with Kelly as sole producer. By putting it in a minor key, he brings sorrowful shades out of the words that aren’t immediately apparent. There’s an eerie 1973 film called The Pyx, which opens with Karen Black singing verses from the Song of Solomon. If you’ve ever heard that, Kelly’s “Sonnet 18” will summon it.