This new start ought never end
A. Onabule | Atlanta, GA USA | 02/14/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Gretchen's first album in almost 5 years is finally released and has been on continuous play on my mp3 player for 3 months straight. After the marvelous hybrid album, Siren Songs that pieced together her Acid Jazz origins with more classic styled vocal jazz attempts (in the traditions of Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald etc), her fans were eager to see where she'd go next.
Gretchen does a bit of the mind game thing, by introducing the album with "Dark Days", which seemed promising at times and rushed at others. The song itself is delivered in classic Gretchen style with that sweet tinge of a jaded sadness in her voice. The next few tunes that follow are not much more inspiring as Gretchen seems to struggle to find her voice at times. The general feeling of "Like Winter" and "Heaven" is of a live performance in some dark jazz club where drowning sorrows is the only past-time. Gretchen suddenly turns things around with "Permanently Lovely" a ballad about moving on from a broken relationship and struggling with the resentment that remains.
From this point on, the head games end, and Gretchen is completely in her Jazziest, folksy element. Every song seems to get better than the song before it. "In the End" recalls the cheery lament of "you closer" from her Siren Songs album (which in-turn took its ambiance from "Heart on your sleeve" from the album prior: at this point in the album, any true Gretchen fan is in heaven. "One Sweet Day" is her new contribution to that nascent group of chilling tunes...the kinds that leave you hitting the repeat button to pay closer attention to the lyrics and ignore the chills and goosebumps they left the first time around (a la "Angel Eyes", "Natalie" and "Avila" from previous albums). The next group of tracks have their own unique contributions to the album, but perhaps none so much as do the delightful "Tree Song" an obvious love song to her child that is sure to leave even the heart of stone a bit merrier, and the final track on the album, "Flood Gates" a quasi-vocalese rendition of the Hauschka track, "Where were you", that answers that question and promises much love to come.
Overall, the album is a true pleasure to the ears, and continues Ms. Lieberum's tradition of solidly enjoyable music. Any old fans better go out there (or log on here) and get a copy as soon as possible. To anyone new to Gretchen's particular brand of artistry, I'd say this is a great place to start off your obsessi..., I mean exploration of her work!"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1