"A beautiful quirky album. The more you listen to it, the more it grows on you. This is a vastly underappreciated album."
A wonderfully organic piano-based rock album
surlyrabbit | 05/29/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First, you'll try to determine just who singer Beth Sorrentino sounds like (somewhere inbetween Juliana Hatfield and Susanna Hoffs). Then you'll marvel at how much sound Suddenly, Tammy! creates from just bass, drums, and an unadorned piano; there's no guitar on the trio's second record, but you'll never miss it. Following infectious pop gems with poignant ballads, the Pennsylvania band creates astounding dynamic range. And the arrangements integrate the instruments beautifully, organically, leaving plenty of space, effortlessly building songs to reverberating choruses, with the occasional backing vocal the only effect (the decent indie-label first album is much sparser). Sorrentino has Hatfield's gift of flowing melody, creating expression and flowing beauty despite no-frills singing and lyrics that don't stick in your mind (the second verses tend to simply repeat the first). You have to wonder how much further Suddenly, Tammy! can push the piano-bass-drums concept in the future, but who cares? One great light pop album is plenty for now. Even so, it'd be great to see what this Lancaster, Pa. band will produce next.."
Remarkable
DBS | 02/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I keep rediscovering this album every couple of years. It is moving and haunting. "River, Run" is stunning. For fans in the New York City area, the lead singer, Beth Sorrentino, still writes and performs. Her latest album, Nine Songs, One Story is available on iTunes and Amazon for download.
Search for Beth Sorrentino - Live in NYC on YouTube for a video of a set from 2001."
I love this album
geoffreymurry | LA, CA | 07/18/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's really a terrific little work. I don't know what happened to these folks, but I think they have a lot of potential. Their take on rock (and I would call it rock) was totally fresh."
Beautiful, melancholy, driving, and so in need of rediscover
William Timothy Lukeman | 10/09/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All too often it's the truly innovative music that slips through the cracks. Yes, Suddenly, Tammy! is a piano-driven power-pop trio -- but that convenient label doesn't begin to convey the emotional impact of their songs, especially with Beth Sorrentino's warm yet aching, naked vocals. They can write & play catchy melodies, both driving & reflective, that echo in your memory ... but there's even more to their magic.
For example, a song like "River Run," an elegy to the then-departed River Phoenix, becomes a lament for all who die too young, the promise of their lives unfulfilled & lost. This band has the rare quality of making the particular & personal far more universal, without ever straying from the intimate core of the song.
Sadly, they haven't been heard from since this superb CD. I only hope there *will* be more from them some day, because this is so much better than the overdone-production-pretending-to-be-music that currently floods the airwaves.
You can't beat the price of a used copy -- so if you ever wanted to take a chance on something unheard, this is the one you should try. Definitely a keeper!