An Exceptional Talent, Realized But Unrecognized
M. Berferlitz | Oregon | 04/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kill me now. I'm not sure I want to live in a musical world in which music this good is lost. So if it's that good, why haven't you heard of Gabrielle Gewirtz? I'm glad you asked.
We live in a world of musical sysiphus, ny friend, and artists whose music does not have acceptable backing or grass roots momentum are pretty much lost to the public. But of course, you know this. Better more Springsteen or Stones than the unknown. And so talent lies unnoticed but by a lucky few. In this case, I consider myself lucky.
Gabrielle combines the best of what she has in "Wide", not the least of which is considerable talent. She is just branching out from her folk and gospel roots to light jazz and the combination is captivating. To pull it off, she invited some of her favorite musicians to participate, including percussionist/electronics whiz Clancy who produced and bassist-extraordinaire Nicholas d'Amato. The result is a beautifully recorded but extremely personal Gabrielle album... the best of both worlds, shall we say.
She plays acoustic guitar, as do most 'folkies', and she sings very well, but the key here is songwriting. She has a way of fitting her voice to various moods of the pieces which can at times be quite disarming. Take, for instance, "She Smiles", an uplifting rocker with very slight jazz tinge in which voices fill the chorus so that her vocals become controlled, but free. Or "No Sign No Sound", which is at one and the same time introspective ballad and choogling rocker. Or "Melina" and "Whose Life" where her voice floats over simple but extremely apt and well done arrangements, and which are superb three in the morning when you're crashing songs. There is a bit of Kate Bush there, and maybe Joni Mitchell, and possibly Sandy Denny and a thousand other fine singer/songwriters, but the music is all Gabrielle Gewirtz (except for the excellent pop jazz of "I Know You Know" and the plagiarized but extremely well done arrangement of Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time") and it won't take more than a few listens to strike home. Gabrielle has the talent. All she needs is the audience.
Taking a chance is tough, I know, as expensive as music is these days, but Gabrielle is worth taking a chance on. "Wide" could easily be the next decade's lost great album, though it is worth much more. It is worth being a hit, if I might be so bold. In my head, it already is."
Excellent Find
Suz Willie | Morristown, NJ USA | 10/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I recently saw Gabrielle perform at a local festival and was stopped in my tracks by her music. It was ethereal and ecclectic. I was blown away by the harmonic synergy between her voice and the steely guitar sounds. I purchased this CD and have never been more pleased with an impulse buy. I highly recommend it."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1