WomanRock CD Reviews - July 2005


Echoset
Independent EP
by Dan Brown

Those of us who regularly spend time praying to the music gods for the return of raw guitar rock to the mainstream will take the release of the new self-titled EP from Echoset as a sign that our plea has not gone unheard.
     The four-song set kicks off with “Learning Curve” as lead singer and guitarist Beth Puorro offers an urgent yet tender vocal that is not unlike what Chrissie Hynde brought to a lot of the Pretenders’ more cutting-edge material.  The six-string sound is a 50/50 blend of lead guitarist Sarah Glynn’s razor-sharp riffs embracing Puorro’s strong open chord strum.
     The buzzing guitar hook to “Middletown” makes it the most commercial cut on the disc and a prime airplay candidate for any station that still has the balls to play tough, clash-and-smash guitar rock n’ roll.
     “Melt,” the most laidback track in the set, still manages to pack all of the band’s energy and edge into its aggressive groove.  This time out Puorro swaps her “don’t mess with me” tones for something more inviting and seductive.
     “Pinwheel” closes the disc with the strongest example of the contribution that the rhythm section tandem of drummer Michael Hayden and bassist Rae Goldring bring to the mix.  Goldring and Hayden supply a pumping drive backbone to each of the four selections that helps to set the Echoset sound apart from that of your average guitar, bass and drums unit.
     Visit www.echoset.com  for more on a great indie band who perhaps won’t be indie for long.


Michelle Albano
Second Guesses (Independent)
by Dan Brown
  
Michelle’s Albano’s 11-track debut serves as a perfect introduction into the world of this talented singer, songwriter and musician.
     “Bye Baby” opens the trip with a message of freedom from bad love and a vocal that takes us back to the early days of Mariah.  By being the author of the lyrics, Albano knows just how to use her voice to push the right buttons to bring the most spirit and emotion from the words.
     The compositions were written at the piano, and each arrangement centers around a piano and voice core.  Electric guitar and a driving rock rhythm section are injected into “Enough” to boost the upbeat vibe and bring an edge to the sound.  A bass and drum groove makes “Your Imagination” a dance track with Top 40 potential, and “Right On Time” offers a more stripped down mix that exposes the deeper end of Michelle’s singing range, while the irresistible chorus exhibits the artist’s awareness of the pop hit formula.
     Michelle’s lyrics are mainly rooted in the quest to be happy and experience true love.   Still, there are more introspective avenues explored by the writer.   “Don’t Try to Tell Me” is her declaration of independence: “Thank you for telling me what I need to know, but I’d rather live and learn.”  Albano lets us in even deeper in “Lullaby Of Passing Cars”: “This is where I’m headed, when I just wanna go home.  The only place I won’t be lonely when I’m all alone.”
     Michelle Albano’s strength and passion makes Second Guesses a musical treat for the ears, heart and soul.


Jen Chapin
Linger (Hybrid Recordings)
by Dan Brown

Veteran music maker Jen Chapin again proves herself a powerful songwriter and passionate artist with the release of a new full-length disc.  The writer’s lyrics offer snapshots of herself and her characters, and each of the 12 cuts presents a new color from the palate of the writer’s imagination.
     The music is of the pure progressive easy-listening ilk, and sometimes the instrumental portion of the tracks falls so far into the back of the mix that the music serves as little more than a backdrop for Chapin’s poetry.
     The range in the focus of Chapin’s words run from the childlike wonderings of “I’m here in nowhere, there’s still so much to see.  Maybe nowhere is the place to be,” in "Little Hours," to stories about dysfunctional love such as in "Manchild":  “He’s got a girlfriend.  And what’s it mean to you if he hits her once in a while.  He’s got nothing else to do.”  However, whether the lyrics are fun or tragic, Chapin maintains a soft and pretty tone which leads the listener to feel that the artist is telling her stories without judgment of any of her subjects.  She is simply the storyteller, and the listener is left to draw his or her own conclusions.
      Jen Chapin fans will most certainly recognize Linger as the artist’s finest work yet, while many who hear Jen for the first time will find themselves moved and won over.
     Tune into the music of Jen Chapin at www.jenchapin.com .