Lisa Forkish – vocals; Patrick Anseth – guitar; Paul
Eastburn – bass; Carrie Jahde – drums; Cava Menzies – piano; Jon Schroder –
cello; Aaron Saul – alto sax; Sarah Vela – backing vocals.
(Review by Debra).
Lisa Forkish is
a young American vocalist based in Oakland,
California. In her second album, Bridges, she has written and arranged 8 of the 12 tracks, largely exploring
the theme of love, won and lost. ‘Unravelling’,
a slow ballad, is the outstanding
song, with a slow, soulful, heartfelt delivery, overlaid with delicate
harmonies, and supported by sympathetic backing from guitar, double bass and
drums.
In songs such as ‘
Cold Light of
Day’ and
‘City of Bridges’ there
is a Folk/Country feel, which becomes Rock-ier in the cover of Stephen Still’s
‘For What It’s Worth’. Forkish’s social
conscience is evident in
‘Solidarity’ (runner-up in Berklee’s
Songwriting For Social Change contest – how American is that?), a well arranged
song with an anthemic quality, which ends with a choral acapella.
The jazziest
number is the self-penned ‘Fools in
Love’, with slapping brushes and walking double bass, where Forkish relaxes
with a bluesy vocal and some stylish scatting. However, in ‘No More Blues’ the
seductive Latin lilt of Jobim is sacrificed for an almost marching style
staccato rhythm, and the chance to swing is overlooked in ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, although the rhythmic arrangement
provides the backdrop for some tasty solos and interchanges from drums, bass
guitar and sax. The repertoire in this album certainly bridges a number of
musical styles, and showcases Forkish’s voice and her ability to compose and
arrange, but I’m not convinced that this sister can swing; her future success
probably lies somewhere along the route taken by Karen Carpenter and KD Lang..
Debra.
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