Search - Essra Mohawk :: Primordial Lovers

STUNNING VOCAL PERFORMANCES BY ESSRA MOHAWK ON A CLASSIC REC

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 02/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five CLASSIC Stars!! A magnificent achievement!! In 1970, Essra Mohawk created this cult masterpiece that has mesmerized listeners for years. It was called one of the '25 All Time Best Albums' by Rolling Stone magazine in 1977. Many of us wrongly guessed that Essra Mohawk is probably an immensely talented Native American singer, but she is actually the talented singer, songwriter, arranger, musician Sandy Hurvitz from Philadelphia, taking her last name from husband/producer Frazier Mohawk. And while "Primordial Lovers" was her debut recording under "Essra Mohawk", Sandy was a seasoned performer who had already made some recordings and had even been a certified member of Frank Zappa's wild and talented Mothers of Invention. In fact, she was actually the person given the legendary name "Uncle Meat" by the Zappa himself. Her status as a highly-respected cult figure, loved by the critics and fans but still seeking the big breakthrough, may be due to the name changes (besides Sandy Hurvitz and Essra Mohawk, she also recorded as "Jamie Carter"). The level of her art here is consistent and quite stunning, arguably rivaling her contemporaries of the 1970s. Her songs have been recorded by the likes of Cyndi Lauper (Change of Heart), Tina Turner, and Lisa Fischer.



This amazing recording seems to be very thematic with mesmerizing songs containing bridges that are great 'songs within songs'. They are about the beauty of nature, spirituality, love, and regret with Ms Mohawk's beautiful plaintive, yearning voice soaring, plunging, bending notes, using staccato figurations, and doing some almost indescribably unique vocal gymnastics. "I Am The Breeze","Spiral" from which the phrase "Primordial Lovers" is taken, and "I'll Give it To You Anyway" with its unusual extended bridge with multi-tracked falsetto voices, immediately grab one's attention, announcing Ms Mohawk as one of the extraordinary singer/songwriters in pop music. The starkly beautiful "I've Been Here Before" is a song that the liner notes say fascinated David Crosby who liked to hear Essra sing it at gatherings at Steven Still's home. It too has another unusual fascinating extended bridge that takes the song into another dimension. And there is the shimmering, prayer-like waltz "Lion In The Wing". And perhaps best of all is the declarative "Thunder In The Morning" with its multilevel bridge and Essra taking it for one wild ride. There are 5 bonus tracks that add merit to the original recording, including a distinctive piano/voice version of "I Have Been Here Before" that rivals the orignal and "Someone Has Captured Me". A marvelous performance by a very talented artist who deserves wider attention. My Highest Recommendation! Five HUGE Stars! (Audio CD, 14 digitally remastered tracks, 63:41)

(Trivia: Essra was scheduled to play at Woodstock but circumstances prevented it.)"