Toward the end of Patti Scialfa’s third album, Play It as It Lays, there’s a quiet but confident song called “Play Around.” It’s not one of Patti’s most well-known songs, but it’s one of her finest.
“Play Around” is a perfect spotlight for Patti’s vocals and songwriting. Both the strength of her shaded lyrics and her resolute (with just a hint of vulnerable) vocals shine through in an intimate arrangement that features Bruce noticeably but firmly in the background (as he should be) on Hammond B-3 organ, until he trails off playing out the song, sounding for all the world like the little boy Patti sings about.
“Play Around” is a great track on a start-to-finish standout album.
Play Around
Recorded: ?
Released: Play It as It Lays (2007)
Never performed
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