Customer Reviews

Brand New Morning

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just listened for the third time in a row to an amazing new cd by Gretchen Lieberum. This album is sophisticated and cool, with enough trip-hop influence to attract a younger crowd, in addition to old jazz heads like me. While the musicianship is top notch--reminiscent of what used to be know as cool jazz when I was comin' up--and the songs play like your favorite collection of short stories, the real surprise is Lieberum herself. I'd say she is one of the finest female vocalists to come down the pike in a long time. Her voice has the seductive tones and range of an older, experienced jazz singer, with the cool style of a Sade or Anita Baker. Check it out. I think Gretchen Lieberum is here to stay.

If you check out the other reviews you'll see that as of now there are 16 of 17 with 5 stars and the only exception being 4 stars. It has been said but bears repeating that this artist is one of exceptional talent and definitely overlooked in the world of female torchsingers. What seperates Gretchen is her suttle phrasing, heartfelt sultry interpretations and distintively soulful articulation which is well beyond her young age. Her mastery of the genre is amazing considering she is so young. It is too early to make comparisons but think of the greats and she reminds you of the best of them. I first heard her interviewed on the net, was impressed with her clarity and respect for those that came before her and then sought out a free sample of her music. I was instantly hooked after hearing "Brazen Girl" which I played over and over and had to have more.Take a listen to the opening track and you'll be hooked too.The arrangements on the disc are cool jazz with electronic influences for a tasty trip-hop-jazzy tecture that underlies the smooth vocal stylings of songwriter Gretchen Lieberum. The utilization of Latin percussion, South American flute and cello provides for an eclectic mix that resonates classy world music. Examples of the modern influences include contributions on turntables by Cut Chemist on various tracks alongside accoustic piano while GL wails soothingly and soulfully. One of the strengths besides the great singing and arrangements are the lyrics she has laid down. Again the themes reveal and are the vechicle for a songstress musically mature well beyond her years. The track "Dear Marie" opens with soft accoustic backgrounds slowly building momentum as GL begins telling a tale of an underpaid factory worker worker whose lot in life is only a temporary .GL sings of everyday people and everyday pain; it's also about the common good that can be found in a bad situation. She sings of love and frustration, hope and renewal or as she says in the "Method To The Madness" acting out as someone is pulling the strings or are we just"fireflies caught between fire and ice?"All the songs are written by GL except for Sting's "The Bed 's too Big Without You" of which she reinterprets in her own sultry sytle accompanied by muffled horns and the jazz standard "For All We know." The song entitled "Weather Page" opens with accoustic guitar as GL begins harmonizing to cello with an underlying thumping bass. The anology of a distant lover looking at his weather page is painted beautifully. "Lost our Way" is one that ponders the posed question by GL as a Miles Davis like trumpet soars intertwined with scratching by Cut Chemist for a very interesting song.This is a feel good album. This disc has been a constant on my rotation for months now and it only sounds better and better. Do yourself a favor and discover a new talent that should be around for years to come. Move over Diana Krall and all the others, there is a new kid on the block who has studied the ghosts of the past and evokes their collective spirit, her name is Gretchen Lieberum and she is here to stay.

This CD is an example of the best, and the worst, of the music industry. The CD itself is fantastic, but the push to get it heard is about 1% of that given to tripe performed by less talented, but more "commercial" artists.

With that gripe out of the way, let's talk about this CD. It sets the mood of walking into a smoky, dim-lit bar with a blue gel lighting a woman with world-weary eyes perched on a stool in front of a microphone, backed by musicians who have been doing this their whole lives, and can't even comprehend another way.

Gretchen's vocals are superb, and spot-on. On top of that, I have neve heard, in my 57 years of listening to all kinds of music, a better collection of back-up musicians. Everyone on this CD hits every note perfectly, and there isn't a single note that's where it shouldn't be, or single note more than is what's called for. This CD could have been released as TWO CD's - one, Gretchen's vocals, and the other, just the backing musicians. Together, they make as good a CD as you could possibly ask for. It has also been well produced (as opposed to overproduced, as is too common).

If you purchase this CD, you will not be sorry.

"Dear Marie" (just listen to the clip above) is ingenious. She transitions between high, medium and low voice as smooth as butter. And the lyrics are intense and intelligent. I also like Ruby-Eyed, Brand New Morning, and Lost Our Way. The whole album is really solid and something you can listen to and enjoy all the way through over and over. I put it on while I make dinner and enjoy a glass (allright, a bottle) of wine after work and it soothes me. My husband likes it as well. It's a find.

Gretchen Lieberum's Brand New Morning is one of my best finds ever on Amazon.com. I am truly surprised she is not more exposed in the mainstream light as she tops some of the most talented and commercially succesful of recent voices.

Her sound is unique and magical in its timbre and texture, and her approach is highly artful in emotional connection as well.
Also refreshing is the unique and eclectic underscore that compliments her folky-jazz groove with a sultry overtone.

This album, song after song, is a never-ending treasure of emotion and spirit. Probably one of the most played (and never tiring) of my collection.

When I was first introduced to the stunning soul of Ms. Lieberum, I was profoundly moved. With her first self-produced solo album, 3am, she proved to me she had something real to say and the music to slay a neruro pathway through my brain that would stick and get stuck in my heart. As I might've mentioned when I reviewed 3am, I get tired and lose faith in the meaning of my life each time the music industry picks another no-talent pelvis popping gotta-be-on-MTV empty vessel to promote and so Ms. Lieberum is a welcome relief, antidote and cure for my tiredness. With Brand New Morning, which rose me from my slumber the first time I popped it in, Ms. Lieberum has renewed my faith in good music once again. She shows us the same huge heart we got on 3am, plus some new style and flair that's everywhere. In addition to that, her voice, once again, is beyond compare. As a working record producer and native of Brooklyn, I am thrilled to have G-Lady-lovely Lieberum's voice around for the hearing. I'm going to buy a CD for every person in my life who I love.

At the end of the album there is a jazz standard of the song "For All We Know" which I first heard sung by Abby Lincoln. I'm not going to compare Gretchen to Abby or vice versa but what I want to say is that the instrumentation on this song is indicative of this whole album in that it beautifully juxtaposes the sadness of the lyrics with a guitar riff that has a kind of sweet nostalgia to it. As Gretchen sings "for all we know, we could never meet again. So before we go, let's make this moment sweet again" the song takes on new meaning for me. I truly believe that there will be a next moment and it will be sweet.

I've been a fan of her music since her MP3.com days. She's matured and ready to hit the big time. Be the first on your block to say "I listened to her way back when." The songs will hook you and her voice is smooth as butter. Her band is an extremely talented bunch of studio musicians. One of the few CDs our family can put on the player without anyone griping.

Gretchen Lieberum is a new talent that should not be missed.
Her album, Brand New Morning, takes the listener on a journey of unique style and sound. Her lyrics are beautifully written with each song telling its own story. I find that I take something new and different away each time I listen to the album (which is daily!). Gretchen has a goregous and soulful voice. She is a rare talent that should not be missed!

All I can say is I feel like Gretchen Lieberum is speaking to me when she sings. Her lyrics are at once universal and totally specific. When you listen to her, you can't help but feel that she's singing your song. As a woman hungry for music and art in general that bravely expresses my point of view, Gretchen's songs and particularly this new album are very satisfying. She's one of the most listenable new artists I've heard in a long time.