Looking for songs with just double bass and vocals

September 20, 2023 3:20 PM

I really love Jaimie Branch's song The Mountain, and I'm looking for other songs which have vocals accompanied by a solo double bass. The only other one I can think of is Sam Cooke's version of Lost and Lookin' (which has some drums too). What are some other great bass-vocal duets?
posted by Chenko to Media & Arts (20 answers total)

I'd asked a similar-ish question years ago. Perhaps some of the suggestions would work for you too.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:28 PM on September 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Step Right Up by Tom Waits (note, cover art in the video is NSFW) is just double bass, drums, and snapping fingers accompaniment.
posted by rouftop at 3:32 PM on September 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Peggy Lee's Fever is also in the with-some-drums category.
posted by offog at 3:40 PM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Mary Margaret O'Hara - You Will Be Loved Again
posted by jabah at 4:02 PM on September 20, 2023

Moon Over Bourbon Street by Sting (with a little help from his hired jazz guns)
posted by credulous at 4:04 PM on September 20, 2023

"Pea" by Red Chili Peppers is a solo Flea track. Very mellow, though not exactly SFW.
posted by papayaninja at 4:24 PM on September 20, 2023

Best answer: Karen Young and Michel Donato have recorded a number of jazz vocal-bass duets.
posted by bluefrog at 4:49 PM on September 20, 2023

Best answer: Esperanza Spalding is a cool sort of funky and cerebral jazz bassist and singer. She often performs with some accompaniment, but does also does lots of stuff with just her voice and bass.

Also if you don't mind some sax, the entire Morphine catalog is great and mostly is carried by Sandman's vocals and bass.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:59 PM on September 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Harry Connick, Jr. has a couple of these too -- On The Atchison, Topeka and The Santa Fe
posted by credulous at 5:02 PM on September 20, 2023

Best answer: Nat Baldwin (he played with dirty projectors for a long while) has multiple albums of double bass and vocals. He's been doing more experimental stuff recently but his albums from 2005-2014 were song focused: lights out, enter the winter, most valuable player, people changes, in the hollows.
posted by noloveforned at 5:37 PM on September 20, 2023

Here's a live nat baldwin set on youtube
posted by noloveforned at 5:43 PM on September 20, 2023

A lot of Judy's songs are just vocals, (electric) bass, and drums (e.g., Mental Obsession).
posted by dfan at 6:12 PM on September 20, 2023

Best answer: I'm With Her's cover of Send My Love (To Your New Lover) featuring Paul Kowert on bass.
posted by fussbudget at 6:14 PM on September 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Rev Horton Heat - That's Showbiz. Has minor guitar accompaniment.

Bongos, Bass, and Bob - Thorazine Shuffle . featuring Pen Teller on running commentary and on the bass.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:22 PM on September 20, 2023

I think Morphine could fit this as well.
posted by kellyblah at 8:31 PM on September 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Van Morrison's Slim Slow Slider has guitar and soprano sax, but vocals and bass are the core.
posted by aws17576 at 12:04 AM on September 21, 2023

Best answer: Elisa Rastrelli's cover of All of Me - where she is both bass player and vocalist.
This cover of I will Survive by Musica Nuda, is epic.
posted by rongorongo at 12:41 AM on September 21, 2023

OP collection Rob Wasserman Duets. trust me.

it has the perfect, haunting version of ballad of a runaway horse featuring jennifer warnes.
posted by j_curiouser at 2:16 AM on September 22, 2023

Bass guitar, but Billy Joel's The Longest Time is only vocals and bass.
posted by Dolley at 5:33 AM on September 23, 2023

Christian McBride has a few of those on his album Conversations. Here are two of them.

Afirika (with Angélique Kidjo)
It's Your Thing (with Dee Dee Bridgewater)
posted by epimorph at 10:24 PM on September 23, 2023