Cristin Colvin

In Good Time

tina — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0000

When I first popped it in, my iTunes player categorized Annie Fitzgerald’s album In Good Time as country. As I began listening, I found this to be wholly misleading. As a matter of fact, I was unable to categorize her music as any one genre. A little bit folk, a little bit pop, this thoughtfully produced album is a gem. Fitzgerald has managed to create new music with a message that is thoroughly original by today’s musical standards. The lyrics, all written by Fitzgerald in collaboration with her colleagues, are unpolluted with the synthetic and wholly superficial mess heard in most songs today. It was a joy to hear someone deviate from the norm.

In “Watching the World Go By,” the static accompaniment creates a tight but quickly oscillating pattern that results in an airy sound. The counter phrase in the piano and her sweet melodic line create a calm, sunny piece that evokes sitting on a grassy country hill near train tracks. Here, her theme is one of a yearning for wholeness, a theme that is also reflected in the song “How Long.” True, “How Long” is a bit too poppy for my tastes, but her hopeful lyrics are a breath of fresh air.

A second, very important theme in this album is one of family. Perhaps the most beautiful example of this is the track “Brother,” a loving, lilting ode to a little brother. The simple voice and guitar arrangement of this piece showcase Fitzgerald’s voice, which is heartfelt and light. She moves around a melody with fluidity and grace. The sweet “Old Souvenirs” tells the tale of a long-gone female relative who remains in her life through an old photograph. The simple piano intro, like many of the keyboard licks on this album, is succinct and catchy.

Perhaps my favorite piece on the album is “Kaleidoscope,” a reflective lyric about purpose and one’s sense of self. A dominant and haunting piano line along with ethereal electronic effects drew me in. This accompaniment was similar to “Watching the World Go By,” but the addition of the unexpected changes and almost totemic bass drum pick-ups left a question at the end of each phrase and kept me addicted. The highly visual lyrics, akin to Verlaine’s symbolist verse, create an image as fluid and lovely as the music.

In Good Time, Annie’s first full length album, is a creative accomplishment.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, April 10th 2011

The Singer’s Gun

payal — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Emily St. John Mandel

Unbridled Books

Emily St. John Mandel’s book The Singer’s Gun sounds like a paperback thriller, but in a pleasant surprise, delights the reader with a still and quiet prose and a keen eye for the details that uncover the interconnectedness of all our lives. Beautiful images of ancient trees and Mediterranean utopias find a home with New York’s summer heat and the sticky lives of its characters. Mandel serves up superlative moral crises in this well-crafted novel, crises which could stretch the bounds of anyone’s convictions.

The story of an honest con man and illegal girl in New York City, The Singer’s Gun reminds us all that no situation is ever black and white. While both Anton, the illegal passport dealer turned honest desk jockey, and Elena, the Canadian alien struggling with both metaphysical meaning and anemia, have done several questionable things, their stories are so rich and so painfully real that the reader’s loyalties are constantly shifting.

Mandel treats her characters with a kindness, yet an almost parental and bittersweet layering of guilt. While both Anton and Elena have significant others, they find an intimacy together that trumps their steady domestic lives. This intimacy itself is a strained one, for unbeknown to Anton, Elena has been sent with a recorder in her purse to question him after an evening rendez-vous, in order that the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service can get a hold on his past activities. As a recipient of one of his passport/Social Security card packages, Elena is in a compromising place. This is chronically her issue.

Although Anton is the main character, I am more fascinated with Elena. Wispy thin and constantly anemic and hungry from lack of food, it would be easy to paint Elena as a neo-Victorian woman, whose relationship with Anton survives because of her dependence on him. However, I find more subtlety in Elena. Her quiet sensuality and moments of subversion keep her alive, and make her a more complete partner to Anton. She is twice compelled to model for a photographer for money. The second time, she finds that the photographer has taken a route into the territory of pornographic material. Caught, like many young women, in the position of having to participate in order to eat, Elena seems like another victim. However, she takes her experience, along with the mounting stress of her job and affectionless relationship and impulsively makes a brave decision to visit Anton on a small island off the coast of Italy, where (for reasons I won’t divulge) he is now living, risking deportation, debt, and uncertainty. The couple’s journeys across national lines, emotional lines, and ethical lines make one pause and reconsider preconceptions about morality and propriety.

This is Mandel’s second novel. Her first, Last Night in Montreal, received outstanding reviews, and after reading this accomplishment, there is no doubt I will read the first.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, November 18th 2010

What Goes On: Selected and New Poems 1995-2009

mandy — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 02:00:00 +0000

By Stephen Dunn

W.W. Norton

Stephen Dunn, an experienced poet with a litany of accolades after his name, has published a selection of works from the last fifteen years, along with a slim collection of new pieces, in What Goes On In a wry, raw voice Dunn’s poems touch upon matters of politics, success, and sex.

Stark and economical with his words, Dunn reminds us of the vicissitudes of life, how change, especially growing old, affect those base matters. Time and again, he returns to sex, like a craftsman reviewing his creations and turning each imperfection over and over again in his mind. I see in this a tortured yearning void that is made bigger by the discovery of inadequacy. He writes in “The Waiting”:

…My body was an ache, a silence. It could not affirm how long it had waited for you.

It could not claw or insist or extend its hands. It was just a stupid body, closed up and voracious.

With a poet’s flair for metaphor, “Flirtation,” recounts the first parries of a couple in a café as the room slowly becomes populated with the guests Illness, Boredom, and Sorrow. He writes, “Look, Sorrow’s just been let in and given its favorite table at the far end of the room. It’s taking off its cloak. They’ll not see it for while.” Although such moments in Dunn’s works seem pointedly and hopelessly morose, there are moments of celebration, of the “beautiful accident of her bra commingling with your sock on a bedpost…in what has been without a doubt an emergency room, / both of your having died and gone to heaven / and now, amazingly, breathing evenly once again.” This particular work, “Best,” stands out to me as one of the more deftly executed works in the volume. The quickening pace and uneven line breaks make this sexual encounter a vicariously visceral one for the reader.

While this volume does contain some minute samplings of moments, such as that in “Best,” they are few and far between. Often, Dunn’s tone, if not downright downtrodden, remains aloof and misanthropic. When reading a poem, I want to feel myself breathing in each line, tapping and pulsing and nodding along with a rhythmic compliance to the words on the page, the images rolling off the tongue. I was disappointed that Dunn’s verse often failed to do this for me, and was often left with the impression that the poet had some higher knowledge than I, that his phrases were indiscernible to but a few.

However, I feel some hesitation in making these claims. To me, poetry remains ever more subjective than prose. An intense emotional connection is more integral to feeling unity with a poem than with a novel. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people who feel such a connection with Dunn’s work.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, September 15th 2010

Oh, Hear the Wind Blow

brittany — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 02:00:00 +0000

By The Chapin Sisters

Lake Bottom Records

The West Coast, indie feel to the Chapin Sister’s album Oh, Hear the Wind Blow could easily have made it my pick for this year’s perfect summer album. Sadly, it’s September as I write this, and soon flip-flops will make way for boots. However, I suggest you squeeze the last rays out of summer with this album.

The Sisters are nieces of musician Harry Chapin and the daughters of Tom Chapin. Their musical family and the thorough musical training they received as a result shines in their pieces. Simple instrumentation, easy-going rhythms, and the sisters’ reedy and mellow harmonies carry on the tradition of American music while incorporating a modern-folk-pop flavor. On some tracks, Abigail and Lily are joined by their other sister, Jessica Craven. Their instrumentalists are The Brothers Brothers: Dan Horne on bass, Louis Stephens on the keys, and Aaron Sperske on the drums.

Their tambourines and “ooh wa’s” on “Left All Alone,” echo the style of Zooey Deschanel, currently in vogue as the lead singer of the band She + Him (with whom the Sisters toured this last spring). The lilting melody and Stephens’ stylings on the keyboard of “Let Me Go” and the slowly rollicking guitar progression on “Palm Tree” drew upon the sound of their uncle’s generation. The exposed melody and chant line of “Digging a Hole,” combined with the almost tribal percussion stands out as the most unique song on the album. The lyrics are worth a listen as well, drawing on an attitude of strength and folk-inspired images of the natural world.

From the lovely handmade appearance of the cover art to the familiar and familial bond of perfect harmony, this album carries the Chapin signature and fuses it with the new era of American music.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, September 11th 2010

The Bradshaw Variations

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:57:00 +0000

By Rachel Cusk

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

In earlier times, a set of variations on a theme in classic art music was a chance for a composer to play around with a melody, try it on in various guises, and allow the audience to hear possibilities. Each variation was minute, an aural petit four to be savored briefly while one contemplated on the sweet yet temporal nature of life. Cusk’s novel The Bradshaw Variations is indeed a set of variations, each chapter holding their own like variations on the theme, offering a brief but blinding insight into life.

Questions of meaning within family, vocation, and sexuality arise as Cusk introduces her reader to the lives of Thomas Bradshaw, his wife Tonie, his daughter Alex, and his two brothers and their families. Thomas, the main character through which most of the action is understood, is taking piano lessons during his interim as a stay-at-home dad. His experiences practicing and learning works by Beethoven and Bach ground the entire novel in a specifically artistic linguistic; Cusk deftly uses musical metaphors throughout the work to create a story that is aural as well as visual and emotional, without succumbing to cliché or cheesy, florid prose.

Thomas, formerly a professional who commuted to work in London like so many other suited desk jockeys, has left his job to stay at home, while his wife Tonie has accepted a position as head of department at a university. Their nontraditional role-switching carries with it consequences for how their family members react and how they negotiate disapproval. Cusk weaves a believable narrative of these very human actors, creating a counterpoint of voices. Both Thomas and Tonie’s parents see the occupational switch as irresponsible and somehow wrong, but are unable to voice the exact nature of their disapproval; furthermore, Thomas feels as if he is in some tired and ambiguous rivalry with both of his brothers, whose temperaments are like night and day. Regardless of the parental disapproval, Thomas finds fulfillment in his days at home, looking after Alexa, playing the piano, and cooking meals. Questions of masculinity are never approached; however, Tonie begins to recognize her own yearning sexuality, and the effects of marriage, age, and work on her own fulfillment. A Freudian theme permeates the novel, apparent in both Thomas’s relationship with his daughter and Tonie’s sense of abandonment, and with Tonie’s own relationship with her father, as viewed through her mother’s eyes. This novel questions what it means to be a family, laying bare the hearts of one in particular and allowing the reader to see their struggles and their moments of connection.

Cusk’s tactile engagement with the characters and their surroundings, coupled with her brilliant use of musical vernacular, create a community of very human characters that I could relate to, over boundaries of class, country, and gender. I read this novel twice, during my morning commutes to work and found myself captivated despite the rush hour bustle.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, August 4th 2010

The Road Home

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:51:00 +0000

By Eliza Blue

When I opened my package containing Eliza Blue’s album The Road Home, I was greeted with a little bit of Southern hospitality; the CD was wrapped in a piece of twine and included a hand-written note saying, “Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy!” I felt comforted by that note. It was a little wave “hello” from home, and more than that, a connection between artist and audience. When I popped in the CD, I was immediately drawn in and stopped whatever inconsequential thing I was doing at the moment. The soothing meandering of a folksy style met with the bluegrass accoutrements of banjo, fiddle, and guitar, but it was Blue’s voice that made me pause.

Blue’s voice is smooth, with something deeper, thicker and something nostalgic—an old yellowed book sitting in afternoon sunlight, a glass of sweet iced tea, and for me, the sound of home. Her intonation and velvety middle range are reminiscent of Allison Kraus, but her tone is darker and earthier than Kraus’ ethereal sounds. I found myself playing this album on loop for days on end, getting lost in her voice. “Oceans & Fields” and “Mending Fences” were lovely in their acoustic melancholy, in the pizzicato ostinato and weeping duets of violins. “Gospel Song” pays tribute to the religious origins of old time, bluegrass, and country. I could spend more time describing the pieces, which are finely crafted, but I, for once, had difficulty capturing the aural experience in words without sounding contrived and thus doing the album injustice.

Eliza Blue is a versatile and pioneering artist; many of the instrumentals are played by Blue, and all songs are original compositions. It is a self-produced, self-promoted album to boot; this is actually her third album to date, having already garnered much attention in the Minneapolis area. This bluegrass/folk amalgamation is a beautiful accomplishment, an album of thoughtful, layered pieces where the lyrics and instrumentals are equally captivating.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, August 3rd 2010

Move Your Boots

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Bramble Jam

Delwin Studio

I have memories of listening to tapes of children’s music as a child, and even at such a young age, being hyper-aware of the overly simplistic and sometimes condescending nature of the songs. If only I had Bramble Jam to listen to. Their album Move Your Boots is a delightful mixture of music and vocals with integrity, fun, easy, and repetitive verses, in addition to lyrics that highlight everyday events of a child’s life that are both on a child’s level and relatable for parents.

Jason Kern, Jessie Griffiths, Asa Brebner, Jay Janney, and Pam Manning produced, wrote, and performed the pieces on this album, and the end product evidences their collective musical knowledge. The album explores different styles, from country to folk to reggae. Their vocals are straight-forward and often include complex harmonies, while the instrumental component is stable, skilled, and devoid of cheesy uses of Celeste or xylophone I used to associate with children’s music. Their website states that this album has “no preservatives or high fructose-modified-hydrogenated anything. It's real music that parents (or grandparents) and kids can just listen to and enjoy.”

The lyrics often include repetition that children can quickly latch on to, learning counting, patterns, and memorization. “Going to a Party,” for example, is a fun song that counts and lists different groups going to a party, including goats, monkeys, and kids. “Too Tall Small” is a silly song in the spirit of a limerick, with plenty of repetition and a focus on rhyme. “Five Little Piggies” is a play on the “little piggie” game that also features counting and repetition.

Other songs are fun and relatable to parents’ experience. Every parent can chuckle at “Pancakes,” which features the voices of a tired mommy and daddy awoken too early by children who want homemade pancakes; they pass the duty back and forth to each other, claiming the other has superior breakfast-making abilities, down to toaster-pastry making. “Mommy’s Lost Her Marbles” is an in-joke of sorts for working parents, whose Sunday nights precluding another week can be hectic; the joke that mommy “lost her marbles” is lost on the child, who narrates the song.

Songs like “Big Brother Blues” deal with issues children commonly deal with, like sibling rivalry. The lyrics are positive and empower each child listening to be proud of their own abilities. “Jack Came Back” details the worry one can feel when the family pet runs away or is hurt.

This album is quite an accomplishment, and I recommend it to any parents wishing to expose their children to music that will speak on their level without giving up musical integrity.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, May 3rd 2010

The Rest of Your Life

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Debbie Cunningham

Intrigue Productions

As an avid jazz fan, I was delighted to review Debbie Cunningham’s album of standards. I was even more delighted when I received the CD in the mail and found that Cunningham is from my native Tennessee. A blurb on the back of the jewel case read that it was a “great CD to just kick back with a glass of wine and relax,” so I prepared accordingly. The verdict? It was, indeed, quite an enjoyable experience.

The professional, smooth sound of the trio first caught my attention. Pianist Barry Sames, percussionist Wilby Fletcher, and bassists Lee Smith and Mike Boone have created solid ensemble with guest instrumentalists on various tracks, and with Cunningham. A mellow, light touch from the trio set an appropriate lounge mood. John Swana’s muted trumpet solo on “My Funny Valentine” is spot on and probably my favorite interlude on the album.

Cunningham’s voice is polished; hers is a higher voice than one often hears, but she still delivers the smoothness one expects. I only have two comments to make on Cunningham’s delivery; that on lower passages, she seemed a little more hesitant and projects a tone that is not as rich; and there was a lack of manipulation of the melody. This is a mellower album, yes, but it would have been nice to hear a bit more of an Ella-inspired tonal play.

In “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” she does employ various vocal qualities, namely a sampling of scat, extended straight tone, and a playful staccato, which was a nice juxtaposition to the more slow pieces on the album. Her rendition of “The Rest of Your Life” was surprisingly introspective and dark, a departure from saucier, bossa nova renditions I’ve heard in the past. However, Sames’ sensitive piano interlude validates and reinforces this choice. Cunningham’s voice shines on this piece in particular; there is a depth to her interpretation and a force behind her enunciation that draws in the listener. This piece serves as a lovely ending to a thoughtful and professionally executed album.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, May 3rd 2010

My Reality

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Trina Elle

Trina Elle is a Canadian pop singer who is trying to make a start in the music business. She is someone with talent, a fun R&B sound, and according to one reviewer, a voice reminiscent of Toni Braxton. Now, I’m not well-versed in the pop and R&B worlds, but I do love me some Toni Braxton. (Who doesn’t?) So, I anticipated being blown away by My Reality. I was sorely disappointed.

Trina’s voice didn’t carry with it the velvety seduction of Toni Braxton, and seemed like yet another carbon copy of the strained and thin voices so prevalent in pop. That said, however, her voice works well in concert with the catchy, repetitive, and rather unimaginative melodies. It was just too common; I was expecting something different, something new, something that would set itself apart from the rest of the modern, commercial pop world.

The first track, “People,” struck me with its message of protest against racism and war. “If I Have It All” deals with the issue of depression and the blessings that people should remember to count. “Fell,” in a decidedly autobiographical, albeit moralistic tone, recounts a period of reckless youth and the consequences. However, the mainstay of this album is the traditional ballad, such as “Crept Up” and steamy dance tune, such as “Stutter” (which, unfortunately, was too Lady Gaga for my tastes).

My traditionalist griping aside, I do have to give Elle kudos for having worked on each piece with a collaborator instead of just singing pieces handed to her. This shows her initiative, and perhaps with more practice, she can turn out more fresh and original pieces. Some of Elle's lyrics already show promise, and I couldn’t help but wish the melodies had shown the same unique outlook.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, February 24th 2010

Don't Kiss Her Face

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:59:00 +0000

By The Echelons

Bud Martin Productions

The Echelons have a lot going for them: quirky lyrics, a 1970s-inspired family ensemble, and fun tunes. Made up of father Ben Petrella, children Jessica and Louis, and neighbors Brian Santo and Brandon Grande, the Echelons make their debut with Don't Kiss Her Face.

Jessica is nineteen years old, and brother Louis is only twelve; this multi-generational dynamic gives the band a distinct aesthetic. At times, the band creates a light, west coast sound while the driving rhythms and prominent guitar conjure hints of punk rock.

My favorite song on the album is the title track. Its musical cohesion and witty lyrics tell the story of a high school girl who is too obsessed with her appearance. The band warns possible suitors that “she ain’t got a face until she puts it on in the morning.” Jessica leads the vocals on this piece, unraveling a yarn about a girl that all the boys can’t help gawking at, but who is, inevitably, artificial. I found this song to be a refreshing look at young women and self-image.

While the vocals on some tracks on Don't Kiss Her Face are a little rough around the edges, I am impressed overall with the musicality of the album. Jessica’s voice is clear and wonderfully folksy; I was left wishing she had been featured on more of the tracks. Brandon’s solid drumming and Ben’s strong guitar rifts kept the fledgling group grounded. This group’s funky lyrics and family-style band make them a stand-out in modern rock.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, February 21st 2010

Cupéro

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By Clarissa Cupéro

When I found out Clarissa Cupéro was only nineteen years old, I did a double take. Her gritty alto is substantial, forceful; it speaks of experience. Cupéro, a New York state native, is currently a student at Sienna College, and in addition to taking classes, she performs her songs for campus benefits (including concerts to aid student organizations such as Students Active for Ending Rape). She is still unsigned to a label, but self-released her self-titled EP last year through The Cutting Room in Greenwich Village.

This bilingual album is pervaded by driving rhythms, aggressive yet playful guitar riffs, and of course, Cupéro’s meaty vocals. The influence of classic rock artists is evident in the guitar-centric instrumentals, but her self-assured lyrics make it her own. The first track, “I’ve Got Your Number,” prompted me to dance around my apartment the first time I popped the disc into the player. The lyrics speak of experience beyond her years with a confidence and independence that is believable:

I’ve got your number, baby, I’m not digging the way you’re steering me, You’re changing me... I believe in what I stand for, Dignity, oh can’t you see?

This track, which has elicited unexpected success, is this generation’s cure for the epidemic of dependence women often feel towards any lover that will give them attention. Cupéro is strong enough to recognize a toxic relationship, and joyfully maintains her independence, asserting her agency.

Her love for Colombian rock artist Juanes is evident in the track “La Sombra”, whose Latin flair shows her flexibility as a musician to combine various styles, and once again, make this self-proclaimed wallflower get the urge to dance. Cupéro lays down a contemplative piano track on “Life is a Moment,” which along with the addition of strings, adds a thoughtful depth to the EP. “You’ll Never Be There” treats the age-old ailment of unrequited love with a positive, almost flippant attitude; as the last track, this piece rounds out the album nicely, leaving the listener with Clarissa’s sense of self and empowerment.

All six tracks exhibit an aspect of Cupéro’s resilient, albeit human personality, and display her lovely voice in concert with riffs that are simultaneously catchy and classic. I definitely look forward to hearing more from this young woman in the future. Her drive and tenacity got her noticed by two producers in the small Greenwich Village recording studio, so I am certain that as she matures and finishes her studies, she will have more music to share, and won’t stop until she gets the big break she deserves.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, January 5th 2010