Impressed and Empowered
handyman | 12/07/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"World gotcha down? Feel like givin'up? Get a hold of this awesome Sloan Wainwright recording and find yourself inspired to face the day, any day!
What really grabs is the voice. My first listen and I am saying "WOW, who IS this woman?!" Sloan comes from way down deep but, hers is not a blues voice, which brings me to categorizing the music, which I can't. If I owned a record store I am not sure where I would put the Sloan Wainwright cds.
Leave it to say that her cover of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name" is fitting. I guess for lack of better words this is "Power Singer Songwriter".
This recording is chock full of well crafted songs and fitting, excellent production. It is a BIG sound that fills the speakers and the room. (In saying that,I am hopeful of catching Sloan on a stage somewhere, stripped down to a guitar or piano and that other awesome instrument she carries inside her.)
Highly reccomended. Four and three quarter stars!
"
Best Sloan Set Yet
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 06/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sloan's 4th CD is her best set yet! Her singing is confident, her songwriting is sterling, and the musicianship is unequivocally excellent. My favorite track is a remake of the title track from her 1998 CD. On this set "From Where You Are" is one of the loveliest of melodies, a slow burning torch song with David Sancious' gorgeous piano, "It's after. It's through. I cleared out your clothes closets. I gave away all your shoes. Rummaged round and touched the stuff that's left of you." Sloan's singing is so powerfully expressive. This was one of my favorite tracks from 2003, simply classic and irresistible. Another favorite for the positive thinking set is the gorgeous midtempo rocker "Good Day to Live." Sloan's voice is unique, most often reminding me of Chicago diva Bonnie Koloc. On this track she belts out the chorus, "Giving into living, it's a good day to live" while the song builds dramatically. Another favorite is the gorgeous melody of "Illuminate" with Sloan's wistful vocal rising and building, "Let spirit fly with the constellations, lift up our voices in prayerful harmony, join together in the jubilation!" The other tracks are also excellent from the haunting title track to her bold cover of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" to her addictive new original "Ready or Not." The CD concludes with "Summertime," a midtempo track molded from memories past. There are no weak tracks on "Cool Morning." Sloan is simply stunning as one of our best expressive singers. No longer will we refer to her as Loudon's sister or Rufus' aunt; she's her own woman. Don't miss this jewel! Bravo!"