Customer Reviews

Look

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Look" is another brilliant outing from this breathtaking singer. The British release on the Sanctuary label has been out for a few months. Finally the American release on the Compass label is here. For the U.S. release, they've added some sunrise colors on the horizon of the artwork. Three of the uptempo tracks frame the set for me. Beth who co-wrote the Faith Hill classic "This Kiss" shows she's still master of the addictive pop song hook on "Right Back Into the Feeling," a delightful sonic confection. (This is currently perched at #1 in my own personal top ten.) Joined by Michael McDonald on vocals, Beth belts out that addictive chorus that any sane radio programmer would die for, "Sends me right back into the feeling when the world melts under your touch, And you toss my heart into the ceiling, no reason not to fall in love." Like "Right Back Into the Feeling," "Free" was also written with Annie Roboff. Crystal Taliefero's percussion & Jerry Marotta's drums rock the driving beat while the joyful chorus that alludes to the Beatles' famous "Let It Be" anthem sends the track into the stratosphere, "And I've passed my graduation, I hold my Ph.D. in crash test blues, I've paid my dues." Co-written with Al Anderson & David Baerwald, "Will & Liz" has a pulsing beat, a searing electric lead by Tom Bukovac, and Beth's vocals oozing irony, "Sex, drugs, lies, Another day in Paradise, So wonderful, they don't think twice, calling it love." Beth also nails the slow lovely ballads. "Touch My Heart" is a eulogy with a lovely melody and Beth's vocals bubbling with emotion, "Sail on my love, life is only a blink in time, go on & show all those stars what it means to shine." "The Reason" written with David Wilcox is another lovely melody, "True love knows the song the wind has yet to play." There are no weak tracks on the CD. "Look" is another gem, a great follow-up to "Deeper Still," her previous set of original songs. Bravo!

Again BNC ushers us into her world of melodious, heart-felt music and haunting lyrics. The first (Trying to Love You) and the last (I Found Your Love) are very typical BNC through and through. "Look" is a piece of remeniscence although too bluesy for my taste as "Right Back Into The Feeling" smacks of too much R&B and seems a bit unsuitable for BNC style. The longing for lost love is again relived in "Touch My Heart" and "Time Won't Tell" but BNC has that unmeasurable ability to put those undescribable feelings into music and words. This is another must for you BNC collection.

This album is not yet readily available in the U.S. but it can be ordered through Amazon ... aren't we lucky! If you already know Beth's music you know it comes from her own experiences that she is open enough to share with us. This album finds Beth back "on her feet" after some tough times--sudden widowhood, then her own fight against breast cancer. These songs are full of her new life which includes good health, a new love and the continued pleasure of her son and friends. This album brings us sweet and bittersweet and those Beth songs that bring tears with her pure honesty and belief in love beyond this physical world. On this album you'll find some harmonies with Michael McDonald and a lovely composition that she co-wrote with Eric Kaz on which she shares the vocals with her now-grown son! (Your Love Stays) I always appreciate her lyric sheets for each song although she's very easy to understand. I highly recommend this CD as well as her entire catalogue!

I've liked Beth Nielsen Chapman from the very beginning. This CD has been out for over a year, and I finally bought it. It is a wonderful trip. As usual, she has a number of different styles - jazzy THE REASON and title song, pop style tunes in TRYING TO LOVE YOU and RIGHT BACK INTO THE FEELING, and a little more country than normal in TIME WON'T TELL. But, her trademark sound comes through on I FIND YOUR LOVE, TOUCH MY HEART, and the duet with her son, YOUR LOVE STAYS (also a little more country than usual). Her voice is crystal clear, her composition is flawless. It's probably NOT as good as SAND AND WATER, but it's up there with YOU HOLD THE KEY to offering a great variety for a solo singer. If you want one of the best - fairly unknown - singer/songwriter in the US, give Beth a listen.

BNC continues to embrace the depth of her experiences through her mature voice and poignant lyrics. Whether it's the soulful 'Right Back To The Feeling', a contemplative 'Look', or the snappy 'Free', BNC seeks out enduring love and a seach for the acceptance of life's imperfections and flawed beauty. She continues to offer up musical ballads in a metaphoric and simplistic songwriting quality that connects with the heart. It's becoming more difficult to critique BNC than to just simply listen and accept.

Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Look" is another brilliant outing from this breathtaking singer. Three of the uptempo tracks frame the set for me. Beth who co-wrote the Faith Hill classic "This Kiss" shows she's still master of the addictive pop song hook on "Right Back Into the Feeling," a delightful sonic confection. Joined by Michael McDonald on vocals, Beth belts out that addictive chorus that any sane radio programmer would die for, "Sends me right back into the feeling when the world melts under your touch, And you toss my heart into the ceiling, no reason not to fall in love." Like "Right Back Into the Feeling," "Free" was also written with Annie Roboff. Crystal Taliefero's percussion & Jerry Marotta's drums rock the driving beat while the joyful chorus that alludes to the Beatles' famous "Let It Be" anthem sends the track into the stratosphere, "And I've passed my graduation, I hold my Ph.D. in crash test blues, I've paid my dues." Co-written with Al Anderson & David Baerwald, "Will & Liz" has a pulsing beat, a searing electric lead by Tom Bukovac, and Beth's vocals oozing irony, "Sex, drugs, lies, Another day in Paradise, So wonderful, they don't think twice, calling it love." Beth also nails the slow lovely ballads. "Touch My Heart" is a eulogy with a lovely melody and Beth's vocals bubbling with emotion, "Sail on my love, life is only a blink in time, go on & show all those stars what it means to shine." "The Reason" written with David Wilcox is another lovely melody, "True love knows the song the wind has yet to play." There are no weak tracks on the CD. "Look" is another gem, a great follow-up to "Deeper Still," her previous set of original songs. Bravo!

I never knew who this person was until today! I never heard of her! I read that she took over the old band for Tommy Shaw in the early 70's when he left to form Styx. I love Styx. I also loved Jennifer Warnes first couple albums and her hit singles. Jennifer had this same potential I am hearing now but she just didnt make much materials after the 70;s. This is what Beth sounds like to me, a dead ringer for Warnes and the brilliant song writing on these tunes. Her voice is just lovely, and the country feel on this album's ballads in particular is wonderful. Every song is a gem, it reminds me in a way of Jennifer Warnes first album which was one of my favorite female vocalist's albums of the 70's! It just goes to show you how everyone is so close to the mainstream that someone like Beth just outside of the mainstream can be overlooked by so many people. But she shall not be overlooked anymore. This album of fine simple ballads will be on my play list for many years to come.

BNC is one of the nation's best songwriters, and her work on LOOK gives listeners many examples. She has a flair for beautiful and interesting chord choices, and unforgettable melody lines. Many of her lyrics are deep and meaningful, yet accessible. Songs about the difficulty of love relationships, the memory and ongoing life of a love that is gone, struggles between parent and child and the prayer for forgiveness and healing ... mixed in with lighthearted, fun, contagious up and mid-tempo tunes - LOOK is a great purchase.

This CD has so many wonderful songs I am hard pressed to pick a favorite. I love just about everything Beth does. I have all her CD's. She just gets better.