Of Note: CD Reviews

Reminding us that a zephyr is a mild breeze, the artist credits the Sea, an entity both "gentle" and "unpredictable," as her inspiration. Given that, the title- Zephyr is perfect for this collection of songs. This is a ride without speed bumps, potholes, or hurricanes. These ten songs are part of a new genre that I like to call World Smooth Age.

With Irish/Scottish jig music the central motif, Heising blurs the rough edges among the instruments - mostly fiddle, banjo, guitar, and flute - and even between each song. This is a collection to help one get lost in thought, a collection conducive to relaxation while a competent cast of fluid musicians helps Heising and her fiddle massage out the daily grit built up between the neurons. You drift. You drift some more. You float out onto a heaven of clouds, pushed lovingly by that gentle zephyr. Like its Smooth Jazz and New Age counterparts, World Smooth Age doesn't dare make many statements, any frightening pronouncements.

This is an ethereal place so beautiful the listener even forgets to listen. And, this raises a critical issue: Should good art strive for this level of seamlessness? Certainly, there will be listeners and critics on both sides of this debate. For those who want smooth, Heising is as soothing as it gets this side of Yanni or Michael Hedges.

However, I actually preferred the few instances in which the artist took some chances, such as introducing a jazz sax solo in the middle of the jig "Spancil Hill" or when she proceeds to sing nervously yet charmingly in a later chorus of the same song. Another startling attempt to sail against the zephyr is her experimentation with odd time signatures ? la Dave Brubeck in the song titled "Take Seven" (Get it?) Unfortunately, these are the only times that Heising shows us that the Sea can also be "unpredictable." Now, don't get me wrong. Calm is good. But, as much as I like the calm before the storm, I also like some gale-force winds added to the mix.

Glowfriends is the vision of Mark and April Morris, the gifted offspring of noted power pop wunderkind Jeremy Morris. While the senior Morris' recordings generally convey compositions of optimism and a deep-seated faith (imagine a pop summit in the pearly gates between Frank Capra and C.S. Lewis), the Glowfriends veer toward the melancholy and have released a compelling, well-crafted folk album.

Favorable comparisons have already been made to Nick Drake (in particular, Five Leaves Left) and the wonderful Colin Blunstone trilogy of One Year, Ennismore, and Journey. But it also appears that Mark and April perused long and hard through their dad's record collection, for it's possible to hear the influences of Love (Forever Changes era), Nico, and French chanteuse Francoise Hardy on Leave the Hall Light On.

For their second release, Mark and April have expanded the Glowfriends into a small chamber unit, with Erin Butler (violin), Brendan Butler (cello), Holly Klutts (bass and vocals), and J.W. Hendrix (drums and percussion), providing an impressive backing quartet for Mark (vocals, guitar, piano ) and April (lead vocals, percussion). The strings paint musical pictures of long Midwestern winters where blankets of snow appear to have spring on a long holding pattern. "Nighty Night," "Nevernminding," and "Dora" are among the album's 17 tracks, which might best be appreciated huddled in front of a fireplace on a cold Kalamazoo (the band's hometown) night.

Sad and beautiful - sometimes concurrently - Leave the Hall Light On may be dream inducing but will provide no nightmares.

(CD available at http://www.jamrecordings.com

Jane Lui may no longer be known as just "Jane," formerly of Jason and Jane, after the old acolytes hear her debut CD. Teargirl finds this seasoned neophyte knocking it out of the solo artist ballpark far enough to clear the wall into the bleachers, but not enough to put the excessive pressure of an unbeatable precedent on future efforts. In other words, it's just about as ideal a debut as it gets.

Lui brings an erudite musicality and a fecund imagination to this CD. She has also penned a dynamically diverse range of material that is rich in metaphor, melody, and emotional depth. The fait accompli rests on the wise decisions she made in the process of choosing her team, which is reflected in the selection of the studio musicians who play everything from sophisticated string, harp, and horn arrangements to standard rhythm section instruments, and in the sagacious choice of engineer and co-producer Aaron Bowen, whose instincts have served this music in the best possible way.

The two constants here are Lui's deft, maturely restrained piano chops and her formally trained, emotionally dynamic voice. "Yellow Light" flows gracefully through whisper-soft to top-of-the-lungs changes in vocal intensity, and this, coupled with her adroit piano work, lends a Tori Amos-like timbre to most of the songs.

Teargirl's sheer diversity of material, instrumentation, and production is enough to engage layman and pedant alike, even if they ultimately find its heterogeneity unsavory. Anyone thrown off by the subdued, sparse textures of songs like "Blue Square" and "Years of Roses" will take an instant, alternate shine to more energetic, radio-ready tracks like "Pigeon Woman" and "Freddie Goodtime," and vice versa. And yet this is the kind of record that seems capable of that miracle of miracles: the conversion of fans of either sound to an eventual acceptance of the rest of the album.

Teargirl augurs like Hank Aaron's first home run; the only thing left to do is realize that the game is more enjoyable at the park than on TV.

Edify yourself at teargirl.com and janeshands.com, and buy Teargirl at CDBaby.com or at her live appearances.

Tunes covers a surprisingly wide array of styles within the jazz/adult contemporary framework. Patti Zlaket and Jim Studer (co-writer and producer on two tracks) work some serious magic on track number one, "Your Love is Like Water." Zlaket's stunning vocals and the perfectly matched backing instrumental pack an emotional punch that, with the lyrics, make a powerful and heartbreaking track. The bridge soars with wonderfully effected, ethereal vocals that evoke the poetic imagery of the lyrics perfectly.

"Easier to Learn the Hard Way" takes the music in a stripped down direction and nicely matches a defiant lyric and lead vocal with a reckless sounding acoustic guitar track. "The Road That Used to Be" is a mellow soft rocker that reads like a master class on the challenges of being in a relationship with someone who has lots of grown up obligations. "The Show" is an irresistibly clever, smoky ballad with lyrics that show how one can use wit to diffuse sadness.

The melodic theme in "Where Were You?" is so beautiful that Stephen Sondheim might do himself bodily harm for not thinking of it first. Zlaket's finest vocal work can be heard here as she soulfully riffs with passion and heartache. "Push and Pull" is a 70's throwback crowd pleaser with some very cool ear candy. "Never Love" is a beautiful jazz ballad featuring an amazing, subtly intense interplay between voice and piano.

This CD is filled with excellent musicianship. The always stellar Wayne Johnson on guitar and Duncan Moore on drums do their usual solid work, but I did notice that Johnson's guitar solos are more restrained and "safe" than I would have liked. The tracks I skipped over - "I Want a Man," "Love is Easy," Backdoor of Your Heart," and "You Need a Woman" - sound too forced, heavy handed, and/or contrived in my opinion. In contrast with the others, they seem to have started with a good lyrical idea but the music was somewhat "force fit" to give all of the words a home. Whether the songs hit the bulls-eye or not, Zlaket uses her voice as a finely tuned instrument, showing she can belt or whisper with equally stunning results. I have come back to listen to my favorite tracks on this wonderful disc over and over and over again.

As the first alt-country tune rocks out of my speakers, I'm reading a liner note that says: "At this stage of the game it's all about those who support you just because they like your songs."

Bands that begin here always begin from the right place in their heart but always fall into a category where they either "truly suck" or are "truly cool." I like this band not because they're perfect, not because they're gonna invent or discover the next "eruption" solo, not because they pay tribute to their influences - which runs from a Stonesy "Wild Horses" era sound to the sound of Dylan in his "Willbury" days. I like this band because it's fun. It's honest and doesn't pretend for one quarter-note to be anything more than what it is: a buncha dudes rocking out, drinkin' beer at your backyard party, pushin people in the pool.

They play great. Taylor Harvey is out front, writing the tunes, singing and playing guitar. He's got a band that sounds like they play in the kind of band they wanna play in: Tim Edwards plays a gritty lead guitar and sings, while Boyd Gardiner holds down the fort on drums along with Mike Chandler on bass.

"Trailer Park Rhythm Blues," is a fun little track that makes me wonder what ZZ Top would sound like if you hired them for your own wedding reception. It's that much fun.

"Love Song No.4" is also emblematic of some serious writing skills. Overall, the production is a well-done demo-esque effort. But with a slicker production, this tune would be a radio-ready "hit." I hear a slight Tom Petty thing going on here (but not really) and a little Johnny Cash "thang" going on there (but not really)... and yet it arrives in its own matter of style, its own skin, its own voice, its own song.

In lieu of a hidden track, they sport an "unlisted" track of outtakes and crazy band practice hilarity. If you ever wanted to be the fly on the wall at your basic practice, you need to hear this. Bring your own mood lighting, breath mints, and cucumber wrapped in foil. It's balls out... and at full-volume....at the same time. Check them out at www.taylorharveyband.com.