The soundtrack to one of the most popular movies of the ’80s hardly seems like fodder for a cover album from a keyboardist collaborating with some of the biggest names in independent music. But last year, Thomas Bartlett, performing with his group Doveman, covered the Footloose album in its entirety. A friend had asked him to complete the project as a way to honor the memory of his sister; Bartlett succeeded in not only honoring the memory but also reinterpreting a classic.
Doveman released a new record in October entitled The Conformist. What exactly Bartlett feels to be conformity in his compositions isn’t entirely clear; one can pick out the influences, but there’s little evidence of Bartlett playing by anyone else’s rules. The foundation for nearly every song is a hushed and slightly raspy voice singing over restrained piano-playing, but Bartlett and other members of the group add touches of banjo, guitar, drums, and electronic effects.
Bartlett isn’t even conforming to his own past works on the new album. “Usually I like red wine in the studio, but on this record I drank a lot of Hendrick’s and tonic,” he said. “Late night tipsy tinkering can lead to unexpected wonders.” A song like “Memorize”—with vibrato-drenched keyboard, banjo, and a drum machine—demonstrates this inclination to tinker, and “Tigers” summons up a ceaseless swirl of strings.
While there’s a level of experimentation to the songs on The Conformist, they don’t wander aimlessly. Bartlett dropped out of high school in order to study with one of the twentieth century’s greatest classical piano pedagogues, Maria Curcio. In an interview with Bartlett, Post- asked if this classical training had any effect on his songwriting or performances. “I don’t really notice it,” he said, “but I’m sure it’s hidden down in the subterranean depths, just a little too deep for me to detect.”
The record also features performances by Glen Hansard, Norah Jones, Martha Wainwright, and members of The National. Bartlett has performed or recorded with some of them—in addition to playing gigs with Antony & the Johnsons, David Byrne, among others—and they’re back to return the favor. When asked whom he’d like to share the stage with next, Bartlett responded that it was a tough question, “but I think Erykah Badu is probably at the top of my list right now.”
The two previous albums from the group were comprised almost entirely of melancholic tracks, but the new album sees Bartlett expanding his horizons. A few pieces can still accompany gloomy musings, but then there are also tracks that you could feasibly blast at a stoplight. The best part about these more upbeat tracks is that they retain a distinctly Doveman flavor; he’s exploring new territory without sacrificing anything.
Doveman is currently touring along with Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, the duo who made the Once Soundtrack and performs as The Swell Season, and they’re making a stop here in Providence on Saturday at Lupo’s. Bartlett has performed with The Swell Season before, and Hansard has called Doveman’s new album “just f*cking beautiful…Thomas brings so much light to other people’s music, it’s great to see him stop long enough to apply that light to his profound sense of song.”
Bartlett’s performance philosophy is one that bodes well for a good show. “It’s more fun for me to re-imagine the songs a bit each time they’re performed.” He might not re-imagine them as much as he did with tracks from Kenny Loggins and other ’80s stars on the Footloose album, but Bartlett and his bandmates are sure to enjoy tinkering with their own compositions in front of a crowd.
