CD Review: Rachel Brown “Just Look My Way”

Cleveland’s own Rachel Brown is a musician that has performed with acts like Hillbilly Idol. It is with acts like that that Rachel has started to get some attention by the followers of the local music scene. And with her talents as a singer and as a piano player, Rachel has also proven herself to be a solid solo artist. In fact, her last performance at The Barking Spider Tavern in University Circle that happened in early February was well-attended as many people came out to see her perform.

With Rachel Brown’s abilities as a singer and piano player being what they are, it should come as no surprise that Brown is also a talented songwriter, as well. In fact, she has just completed a new debut album with several talented musicians from the Greater Cleveland area. These musicians help form Rachel Brown’s back-up band. Together, the group and Brown create the band Rachel Brown and the Beatnik Playboys. It is this band that has just created the release called Just Look My Way.

This new album showcases Rachel Brown’s ability as a singer, musician and songwriter. In fact, of the thirteen original tracks that make up the new release by Brown, twelve of the songs were written by Brown. And while the album does include plenty of Country music as you would expect from someone who spends part of her time performing with a band like Hillbilly Idol, it also includes some Honky Tonk influence, some Jazz influence, even some songs that would fit into the “Easy Listening” category.

Rachel Brown’s new album begins with the only song on the release not written by Brown herself. “As We Speak” is a song written bass player (and Hillbilly Idol member) Bill Watson. “As We Speak” is a track that has more of a Western Swing feel to it than a Country one thanks, in part, to fiddle player Denny Jones. With Jones, the rest of the musicians include Bill Watson on bass, Dave Huddleston on electric guitar, Roy King on drums, with Brown on piano and vocals.

The track “Peace in the Valley” is the first instance where the listener gets to experience the writing style of Rachel Brown. As is evident with this track, Brown has been heavily influenced by the style of Country music that was being created before the Rock ‘n’ Roll style became such a big part of the music that is called Country music today. “Peace in the Valley” is a track that sounds like it would have been recorded many years ago by someone like Dolly Parton. The playing style of Rachel Brown on the piano, matched with steel guitar from Al Moss, gives the track its “old-fashioned” feeling. This track is a welcomed reminder of what the music sounded like years ago and would make any fan of the Country stars of yesterday happy.

Many of today’s musical acts enjoy larger success by releasing songs with “cross-over” potential. If any song on Just Look My Way from Rachel Brown could be considered a “cross-over” potential, it would be the song “Another Lifetime Ago”. The simple ballad featuring piano, bass and drums would easily fit on any “Easy Listening” format, while having just enough fiddle from Denny Jones to still be considered “Country”. But it’s Brown’s beautiful vocals on the track that truly makes the song feel “timeless,” as her delivery on this track is reminiscent of Country singers like Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Along with Brown’s emotional lyrics of days gone by, the thing that makes “Another Lifetime Ago” so strong is the piano. There seems to be as much emotion in the notes played by Brown as there is in the words she sings. And with the subtle addition of Denny Jones’ fiddle to the track, all of the musical elements come together to create perhaps the strongest track on the album.

While “Another Lifetime Ago” is probably the strongest standout track on the album, another song that could easily get played on several radio formats is the track “What If”. Another track with a strong and beautiful piano part, “What If” seems to pick up where “Another Lifetime Ago” left off. As “Another Lifetime Ago” deals with looking back, “What If” finds the singer pondering certain paths that may have made the situation better.

Much of Just Look My Way stays in a Country vein, but some tracks find Rachel Brown making other styles of music. The track “Enjoy the Dance” blends pop music with a touch of jazz to create a song that is beautiful and energetic at the same time. The feeling of the song seems to invite the listener to do just as the title of song says and “Enjoy the Dance”. Plus, the saxophone from Jeff Rice helps give the track its jazzy feel.

As a debut release, Just Look My Way by Rachel Brown is as strong as anything from artists with catalogs of releases to listen to. And with the different styles of music created by Rachel Brown and the Beatnik Playboys, the album is nicely varied and helps to show off the talents of all involved ………especially Rachel Brown.  

CD Review: Julia Wade “Solos”

Julia Wade is a singer that has spent time singing both classical and popular songs. Taking time to learn the two different musical mindsets allows Wade’s music to reach a wider audience. Having already created a library of CDs, Julia Wade has just created a new album to expand that library. The newest CD from Julia Wade is entitled Solos; Solos features 12 songs that were written around prose from Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy.

When creating an album, the first thing that needs to happen is choosing the right person or people to help you make the album the way you want it. For Julia Wade, the person who helped create the album of Solos is Peter Link. Peter link has long list of releases that include Broadway compositions as well as inspirational albums. When partnered up with Julia Wade for the Solos, the two artists create a beautiful and moving release that is also inspirational.

The Solos album begins with the song “Beauty”. The first song of the album is a quiet and comforting song about the beauty of all things in life. Julia Wade’s voice blends well with the soft organ music from Peter Link.

For the second track of the release entitled “Today,” the song begins with Link taking a jazzier approach to the music on this piece. The lyrics from Mary Baker Eddy about taking the chance that today gives you to start over are sung by Julia Wade with the same type of jazzy feel that Link’s music has. The music, lyrics and vocals on this song seem to have the effect to make you feel the positive vibe the lyrics contain.

With the song of “Mind’s Camera,” Mary Baker Eddy’s words of accepting what is real in both reality and in religious ideas are sung by Julia Wade with conviction and the same can be said about the playing of Peter Link on the piano. The resulting track is once again full of beauty as the singer and pianist intertwine as if they are one.

While the lyrics of the new album from Julia Wade come from Christian Science Mary Baker Eddy, the song “One” takes on a more educational feel. In fact, the prose that makes up “One” makes the song feel as odd as the songs that used to be played in elementary school science classes. Moreover, “One” may even bring to mind other “educational” takes on science such as the remake of the song “Why Does the Sun Shine?” that was made popular by the band They Might be Giants.

With the next song of “Divine Love,” Julia Wade sings a song that feels more like a Contemporary Christian song. And while there is the ever-present Christian Science thought process running through the song, the listener can truly enjoy a beautiful song about love.

One of the coolest tracks on the release is the song “The Sculptor”. The words about being the ones to “shape” what you see around you are matched well with music by Peter Link that has a slight funky feel to it. While most of the songs on Solos are “easy listening” songs, “The Sculptor” has more of a groove to it than most of the album.

The song “Creation” takes the listener through just a short trip through some of the main ideas that make up the basis of the Christian Science faith. The ideas of “creation” and “The Creator” are well-represented in this beautifully sung track.

The prose from Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy fills the tracks that make up the album Solos from Julia Wade. Even though many may find the lyrics a bit unusual at times, the songs themselves are strong and beautiful. And while the religious views of the Christian Science religion fill the album, it is the voice of Julia Wade and the piano playing of Peter link that really shine through. With each track of the album, the listener understands why Julia Wade and Peter link came together to create this album of beautiful vocals, well-composed music and thought-provoking words. Religious concepts aside, the easy listening, relaxing feel of the songs contained within the Solos album from Julia Wade make for a release that many will enjoy.

Click HERE for the video to “Beauty” by Julia Wade