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Reviews: Gina French ~ Of Rapture
Posted on Saturday, October 09, 2004 @ 07:00:25 PDT
Topic: Reviews
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Artist: Gina French
CD: Of Rapture
Home: Salt Lake City, Utah
Style: Let's just call it rock and let the rest of it surprise you.
Quote: "I was a goner the second I heard Gina French's voice."
By Jennifer Layton
How could I resist this album title? Or the multi-layered romantic cover art, which turned out to be a perfect representation of the music inside? And as if that weren't enough, I was a goner the second I heard Gina French's voice.
I had to go back and play the first song again as soon as it ended because I'd spent most of it trying to describe that voice. I'll let this do for now: Imagine Shirley Manson had a little sister with the same sneer and the same wild spirit, but with an exotic sense of romance and sensual abandonment normally found in gothic novels. Longtime fans will protest that this description barely scratches the surface, but hey, I'm new to this one. Give me a break. Besides, you guys already used up the best words in your fan comments on CD Baby: "Bewitching," "intense," "reflective," "growls and smolders." Come on, people. Don't make me spend all night hunting around on Thesaurus.com.
The opening track, "Hard Way," is a straight-up rock ballad with some magical threads woven through it. In this particular song, I'd describe her delivery as "pure rock chick," but French is just getting warmed up. In each song that follows, we get smooth grooves, exotic stirrings, feline purrings, and images that seduce the mind's eye. From "Break the Silence":
Tight rope walking over this black hole existence
Sends you into a state of disarray
Like a fiery tidal wave
You've got to let it give way ...
The title track is a glorious, expansive, Middle-Eastern influenced love song that had me looking up the definition of a "dumbek." (It's a Turkish, goblet-shaped drum, played lightly with the fingers rather than the palms. Just the sensual playing style needed for that instrument makes it a perfect choice for this music.) French lets her heart roam wherever it wants, unapologetically throwing in a surprising bit of twang in "Spring's Angel" and a duet with her voice and an electric guitar in "Spanish Lace." From beginning to end, this album is a rising tide of mystic energy that narrowly skirts New Age territory and goes right for the gritty rock and roll vibe. (Eat your hearts out, CD Baby fans.)
I had to smile when I heard "Something About the Night," as French seems to have written her own CD review:
After hour rhythms stir the primitive in me
Steel sounds, lively crowds
Then it all kicks in
Something about the night
Brings on this surrender ...
Really, that's all you need to know.
http://www.ginafrench.net
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| Article Rating | Average Score: 5
Votes: 3
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