Search - Patricia Barber :: Live - A Fortnight in France

One of the Best of 2004

Rick Cornell | Reno, Nv USA | 11/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In giving a recent rave review to Madeleine Peyroux's "Careless Love", I pointed out how that and 4 other albums have made 2004 an extraordinary year. Evidently, I wrote too soon. Add this one into the mix, and call it "The Gang Of 6." Christopher Louden of Jazz Times calls this one of the year's best, and I concur fully.



In listening to this live album recorded in 3 venues in France, I was struck by this thought: in listening to Caetano Veloso, Americans who don't speak Portuguese can't understand the words he sings, but there's no mistaking the emotion; hence his greatness. Judging by the enthusiastic applause throughout, the French must feel the same way about Patricia Barber.



And I think the reason why is this: If Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson from "The Graduate" could sing, she'd sound like Patricia Barber. I.e., that clipped sense of matter-of-fact cool, masking a profound sense of personal pain. As such, Ms. Barber is the perfect artist to re-interpret Johnny Mercer's "Laura", as she does here with such wistful sadness. And she adds a new level to the encore of "Call Me"; rather than the familiar ubercool of June Christy or Chris Connor, she delivers the song in a conversational, intimate tone. It really works.



Special kudos to the instrumentalists as well. Neal Alger(g), Michael Arnopol (b) and Eric Montzma (d) sound very "Mahavishnu-esque" on "Crash" and "Whiteworld." And based on what I remember of "Nightclub," I think Ms. Barber's pianistic chops have grown. I recall her playing very sparely there, a la Duke or Monk; but here, her expansiveness on "Norwegian Wood" and "Witchcraft" is impressive.



Among Patricia Barber aficionados and other critics, "Modern Cool" by consensus is considered her best. They're probably right; but I think this one deserves to be on the same shelf. RC"

Barber still a cut above anyone else, but average for her

Paul Hickey | Fairfax, VA USA | 10/03/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a big fan of Patricia Barber, it's difficult for me to be critical of her latest release but I found "A Fortnight In France" somewhat disappointing.



The best songs on here really shine, and I especially liked her new work in "Gotcha" and "Whiteworld" (with all due respect to the other reviewer). Also, her live version of "Pieces" is much better and more interesting than the original studio track on her "Verse" album. But the most enjoyable material here is in her covers of "Call Me" (sensuously sung as you've never heard it before), "Witchcraft" (with its irresistably simple yet sophisticated melodic variations), and--most of all--"Norwegian Wood" (in which she even dazzles the listener into forgetting the beauty of the Lennon-McCartney hit by making the piece totally her own).



"Dansons La Gigue!" (adapted from a Paul Verlaine poem) isn't bad either. However, in spite of the fantastic chops of her extraordinarily talented and tight jazz band, "Crash" seemed to fall apart and disintegrate before my ears, like a very basic, good little musical idea that just could not bear the weight of so much abstract improvisation. It struck me as more ambitious and self-indulgent than inspired. "Blue Prelude" and "Laura" failed to rouse me either. Barber's voice, such an effective and powerful instrument in itself elsewhere, sounded tired on those tunes, instead.



Overall, if this had been anyone else, I would have given the album a higher rating, but Patricia Barber has spoiled me. She is just too darn clever and soulful an artist for me to automatically grant her four or five stars for such an uneven record. There is some excellent stuff here, and several numbers I will no doubt play over and over again, but for the casual music buff "A Fortnight In France" is not an essential item in the Barber catalog. I have seen Barber perform live and she is absolutely amazing. Her cover of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" would bring tears to the eyes of even the most jaded cultural philistine. But this album ranks somewhere between "Nightclub" (**) and "Companion" (****) in capturing the charms of her concerts. As for her studio work, albums like "Split," "Modern Cool," and the latest "Verse" are clearly superior.



Watch out, though. In the liner notes to "A Fortnight In France," Barber mentions that "Whiteworld" is only the first composition of an 8-song cycle she is in the process of writing and preparing to release soon. Now that promises to be another winning treat. I can't wait."