Plumb

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Customer reviews

review by: quadruped date: 2008-03-26 rating:
Beautiful
I read the previous review with mild surprise. But I need to remember that everyone has an opinion and that is why musical tastes can be so diverse. I first heard 'No Better' on the local radio station but missed the name of the artist. A few days searching and this is what I found. This album has been one of my favourites since then. 'No Better' is one of my top 10 tracks, a wonderfully constructed ballad that combines Jonatha's beautiful evocative voice with intricate instrumentation. The very thing that the previous reviewer disliked, I thought made the song. 'Inconsolable' is excellent too, if completely meloncholic. But its hard to fault the album. Her singing style is probably more country than anything, but never forced and always clear. The musical style is more American folk mixed with a bit of rock though. And that mix works really well. The collaboration with Bruce Cockburn on 'War' gives a good indication to the general direction, but equally 10,000 Maniacs/Natalie Merchant could be used, and any number of other acts. This album isn't as MOR as, say, Sheryl Crow or as raucous as Melissa Etheridge. It treads a line all of its own. Her songwriting skills are superb, all the tracks are beautifully wrought. I bought the other albums, and good as they are, this is her best. So if you want to try, start here.


review by: jonnyboymach4 date: 2003-11-18 rating:
Charming
This is an interesting album, but only once you've gotten past the first 3 or 4 songs. pThe acoustic guitar riff leading to a jarring electric guitar/shouting fest on 'No Better' seems oddly misplaced, and a rather obvious attempt to cash in on the angry female singer-songwriter craze of the mid 90s ('Not The Doctor' by Alanis anyone?). pHowever, the album really kicks off just before the 2nd half. Although her voice sounds a bit Sarah Maclachlan, a bit Shawn Colvin, and she's probably got more than a couple of Suzanne Vega albums, she stands out in her own right on tracks such as 'Charming', 'Made of Gold' or the rich and atmospheric 'Paris' (story-telling and guitar-work that would take the shine of Vega's fringe, somewhat). pIt's refreshing to hear such clever arrangements, and quality instrument playing to back up intellegent and subtle songs. Only her lyrics occaisionally let her down, feeling somewhat half-baked and ethereal, with regular fleeting moments a of sharpness and poetry amongst lines that seem to be written by a pretentious teenager trying a bit too hard: "..and I gues war's okay, it's just a little inconvienient ..".pThere's a mish mash of different styles here, too. 'War', and 'Where Were You' (traditional AOR) that Sheryl Crow might cringe at), feel forced on to the album to creat balance, against the more contemporary female singer-ey-ness. But in truth, the album is best when it's neither one nor the other.pA minor gem, but she would need to get better to compete with her peers, or stand out in any way.

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