A sexier, more mature, and more eclectic Loshak.
D. Mok | Los Angeles, CA | 02/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rachel Loshak's first album, Firefly, had more of a touch of Eastern mysticism, but Mint is an even more confident and diverse collection of simply gorgeous music, reflecting on Loshak's growth as an artist in the last two years.First off, the mix is clearer, giving instrumental parts and Loshak's magnificent voice room to breathe. Secondly, her songwriting remains structured and engaging, with lyrics that are rich in understated wordplay and quiet emotion. Loshak's bass guitar-based songwriting has paid off in spades; by anchoring the harmonic intent of the songs in the bassline, she gives guitarist Jason Crigler basis to colour and augment, while retaining a great sense of freedom for exotic fills and instrumentation.And the songs are terrific, already well tested in a live setting. What they lose in live spontaneity, they gain in studio detail. The chorus melody of "Rain" is dazzlingly beautiful; "Single Rose" features gorgeous suspended electric-guitar chords and an angelic piano part, followed by an unusually fiery blues-guitar tone from Crigler; "Never Look Back" employs a signature Loshak motif, a buoyant, Eastern-flavoured bassline with her crystalline voice weaving a sumptuous sonic tapestry -- the contrast of Loshak's bell-clear soprano and insistent bass remains magical. While she's always had an amazing voice, she's gained more control in studio of her singing, and she sounds more confident than ever. "The Dreamer" is an atypical Loshak tune in its folksy acoustic guitar; "Latin Rock" features playful percussion parts and long, catchy vocal lines that flow effortlessly; and "Sweet as Sin" features one of her slyest lyrics.There is more of a romantic leaning to the music on this album, but overall it casts a wider web both in sonics and topicality than Firefly. I listened through the whole album three times the first night I got it, and chances are it'll refuse to leave my CD player throughout 2003. This is just about as flawless an album as I can think of."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1