Search - Jane Olivor :: Chasing Rainbows

An all-time favorite

Smallchief | 03/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every year or two I dig out Jane Olivor's first album, "First Night" and second album, "Chasing Rainbows" and indulge in a few days of Olivor listening. These two recordings are on my short list of all-time favorites.



Jane Olivor has an exquisite voice: strong, a bit alto operatic, melancholy, and at its best under restraint. She does a lot of French-type cabaret numbers but I like her best on the slow, sad songs. I suppose what really blows me away is the touch -- the phrasing I suppose it's called -- she can give to a single line to make it memorable. The line on this CD I can listen to over and over is "There's children you know, and that makes it so hard to go" in the song "It's all Over Goodbye." She sings this unremarkable phrase with infinite pathos.



My favorite song on the CD is "Beautiful Sadness" which is as poignant a break-up song as I've ever heard. Nobody sings a sad song better than Jane Olivor."