Author: Barber, Patricia

Release Date: 2006-08-15

Details: Amazon.ca Considerable time, thought and Guggenheim grant money went into the making of Patricia Barber's Mythologies, an ambitious modern take on Ovid's Metamorphoses. As she is wont to do, the Chicagoan continually reminds us of her aspirations to art with her joyless, half-whispered vocals and show-offy intellectualism. The song sequence, which seems destined for a staged reading, never escapes its literary trappings. But in reflecting on the age-old dance of dreams and destiny, the poetry is mostly good, and sometimes better than that ("unrequited love/is what i know of love/spellbound/I will stay"). And though Barber mostly keeps her considerable skills as a pianist under wraps after getting in some seductive and darkly rumbling licks early on, the varied musical settings prop the songs up. Mythologies ranges from jazz balladry to Hendrixian reveries (via guitarist Neal Alger), lifts openly from Joni Mitchell's Hejira, and tells another tale with hip-hop and a children's choir. This isn't an album for the Diana Krall set, and even some of Barber's early followers may take a pass, but for listeners on her wavelength, it will cast a spell. --Lloyd Sachs Product Description Chicagoan singer and pianist Patricia Barber--one of the few jazz musicians to receive the prestigious honor of a Guggenheim Fellowship--expresses unique, personal ambition with this album, which consists entirely of Barber originals. Each song of Mythologies represents a character from ancient Greek folklore. But fear not, this isn't some dry or pretentious mythology lesson--as most characters in Greek myth are ascribed human feelings, Barber draws on them to delve into emotional states (positive and negative) common to all. "Icarus (for Nina Simone)" represents a rise to dizzying heights with a high price to pay afterward. The contemplative "The Hours" is both a blues for humanity and a cry for salvation, intensified by an impassioned guitar solo and pleading gospel-charged chorus. Patricia Barber's voice is smoky, wise, and unhurried--that of a born storyteller. Her accompaniment (guitar, bass, drums, plus occasional alto saxophone and background vocals) provides unfussy, concise embellishments to her story-songs, along with brief, inventive ventures into funk and hip-hop.

UPC: 094635956429

EAN: 0094635956429

Languages: English

Binding: Audio CD

Item Condition: New