Review – February 2004
CHRIS RIZIK at www.soultracks.com
Soul Tracks is a leading site that is
"tracking the world's greatest soul music." It includes artist
bios, "where are they now" features on classic soul stars, and
introductions to great modern soul artists.
It features great artists like Patti Austin, Anita Baker, George Benson,
Peabo Bryson
Bobby Caldwell, Donny Hathaway, Lalah Hathaway, India.Arie, James Ingram, Frank
McComb, Michael McDonald, Smokey Robinson and Bill Withers.
…And great soul outfits like Average White Band, Commodores, Four Tops, Isley
Brothers
O'Jays, Spinners, Stylistics, Tavares and Temptations.
Soul Express Magazine has recently referred to the site as “a
highly recommended soul site especially for lovers of classy 70s and 80s soul
music and classy modern soul vocalists."
Review...
Sometimes, it pays to open your email. My most pleasant surprise so far
this year was hearing in January from Louise Perryman, a gifted pop/soul
vocalist from Australia who is getting some attention in Soul Music circles due
to her new release, Whisper My Name. Perryman has been labeled "The
white woman with the black voice." Well, I don't know what color she
sounds like, but it's one that I like. From the moment I put Whisper in my CD
player, her deep, husky alto wrapped itself around song (and me) and didn't let
go. Perryman's voice is most often compared to Anita Baker, and there is
truth to that comparison. I think a closer match may be Kathy Troccoli,
another underrated deep-voiced singer, though Perryman's delivery and material
are richer and much more soulful.
Perryman began as a viola player and studied at the Elder Conservatorium of
Music in Southern Australia. Though afterward she took a job in business,
she continued to pursue her musical dreams in the evening and worked to develop
her songwriting skills. She ultimately moved to Sydney to focus on music
full time. Her first release was 1999's Come on-a My House, followed by 2000's
Nowhere Near Eleven, an acoustic CD, and The Painter and the Bird, an album of
covers.
Though it is her fourth album, Whisper My Name should finally introduce this
talented artist to Soul Music audiences around the world. Beginning
with the midtempo title track, Whisper is like a great trip back to the
sophisticated pop/soul of the mid to late 80s, the "nouveau soul"
period that brought us great acts from Anita Baker to Everything But the Girl
and a period where pop, soul and smooth jazz could co-exist in an amalgamated
form. It is nearly impossible to find a recent disc that attempts to
straddle the adult pop/soul border, much less one that handles it as effectively
as Whisper. It is a true throwback -- a late night album for adults that
relies more on melodies and expressive vocal performance than on attitude or
studio trickery.
For Whisper, Perryman has brought together a crack band of local Australian
musicians who provide a solid but restrained backdrop for her vocal performance.
She also proves herself a fine songwriter, co-penning all eight songs.
Best of all, though talent surrounds Perryman on the disc, the centerpiece
remains where it should -- her wonderful, clear voice.
At just over 42 minutes, Whisper is a bit short, but it has no filler and has a
number of high points. "Play Your Game" is a worthy successor to
Baker's "Talk To Me," and, along with the title cut, may be the
album's most soulful number. Much of the disc features more adult pop
oriented tracks, including the ballads "Stay" and "Prayer For
You," both nice cuts that are made better by Perryman's performance. And
the 7-minute smoky ballad "This Is Heaven" feels like a live, 2 a.m.
nightclub performance.
I truly hope that there is an audience for Whisper My Name. At a time when the
apparently simple combination of great tunes, restrained arrangements and a
clear strong voice seems an anomaly, it is a very welcome anomaly, and one that
I can highly recommend to lovers of classy, melodic soul music.
*********
From;
Kevin
Amos.
Here
is an email that went onto the Soul-Patrol Discussion Board! To be put up there
with Abbey Lincoln is great stuff for me!
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 11:32:38 -0500
From: "Kevin Amos"
Subject: RE: soul-patrol: Norah Jones comes 'Home'
_________________________
There is way too much hype about Norah. She has been on a lot of other
folks CD's over the past two years while longer established artists go
unnoticed.
How come there's no hype about Abbey Lincoln's new CD or Nenna Freelon’s
new
one.
Also...wait til they hear more from Louise Perryman.
You know...some of these promotion and A&R folks just don't have
a clue.
Kevin Amos, da FunkOverLord
Www.soul-patrol.net radio DJ
*********
OzTrax
www.abc.net.au/oztrax
“Thinkin’ Too Much” is being featured on the new ABC Radio OzTrax site.
Launched in February, the OZTRAX site gives ABC Local Radio another outlet to
expose Australian music, particularly independent and ABC recordings. It is
intended that OzTrax will gradually grow to encompass a wider variety of music
and musicians appropriate to ABC Local Radio.
Also appearing on the site is “Train” from Rachel Gaudry’s Bright Window
CD which is a track co-written by Rachel, Sam Hawksley and my good self. If you
listen hard you can also hear me on backing vocals on the track!
And also check out my good mate Sarah Macgregor’s tune!
Visit the site at www.abc.net.au/oztrax to hear some great Australian
talent.
“Whisper
my name” is available at
www.cdbaby.com/perryman