Realistic

Mary Lorson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 7, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cooking Vinyl
• ASIN: B000CQO15W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Wait for the Sun

2. Realistic

3. Spider

4. Born Knowing

5. Dangerous

6. Walking Man

7. Lonely Boy

8. Out of Your Mind

9. These Days

10. Ties That Bind

11. Serenade

12. Brand New Spring

Editorial Reviews

Singer/songwriter Mary Lorson is most known for her role in the indie rock outfit Madder Rose, the New York band she has fronted since 1990. In 1997, however, Lorson opted for a solo side, and three years later she assembled Saint Low and the band issued a self-titled release later that summer. Mary, a prolific songwriter, began working on her 8th release, Realistic, after the release of 2003's "Piano Creeps" a collection of atmospheric and evocative compositions penned with her partner Billy Cote. Whilst some of the songs on "Realistic" are inspired by the birth of their son Roman, quite a lot of the material was composed after Mary was diagnosed, and successfully treated, for breast cancer in Autumn 2003.

One of the album’s most endearing qualities is its human warmth. Every word and every note is heartfelt, but it never enters the realm of self-pity. The songs are frequently uplifting, lyrically charming and flow with such sincerity that it’s impossible not to be touched by them.

"Life provided me with an abundance of material this time around," quips Mary. "Musically I wanted it to be warm and rich, with some real infectious pop elements." Lyrically, there are quite a few other influences at work. The album includes a song called Lonely Boy' which Mary wrote after the death of Elliot Smith, her favourite contemporary songwriter.

In addition to the attention Lorson receives from the still active Madder Rose fans, the last couple of years have also seen Mary’s songs receiving extra attention on TV and in films. Her music has been played on the shows Alias, Felicity, and The Real World, and is included in the upcoming Fox pilot Still Life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mary Lorson's Diary, August 1, 2005

By 

Juan Mobili (Valley Cottage, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Realistic (Audio CD)

After some remarkable work as a member of Saint Low and, a bit less impressive, for Madder Rose, Lorson went solo, or at least putting her name ahead of Saint Low. This is her second album under her name, after the soundscapes she created with her partner Billy Coté in "Piano Creeps," and unlike the former she seems to have approached this album more personally, I'd even say as a diary of sorts.
Within recent times she conceived a baby and successfully fend off cancer, which is more than enough intense and direct experiences to guarantee a reexamination in any artist's life. This album represents such serious and earnest look at what has been and what she needs to say, and it is admirable.
I guess, then, the title of her new album, "Realistic," is nothing less than a statement of purpose about her life and her music. In that respect, the CD cover a sepia photograph of herself in the midst of trees from which bright red apples hang, is particularly poignant of this album's content.
Perhaps less dramatic without lacking in emotional depth, Lorson seems more tender in her singing and more vulnerable in her words. There are several songs that stand out and can easily be added to your favorite songs from past works, "Spider," "Realistic," "Lonely Boy" -dedicated to Elliott Smith and perhaps my favorite- and "Serenade."
Although I would not award it the label of "classic" or "masterpiece," this album is definitely worth listening to and appreciating. Try it, Mary has plenty to say and sing about.

PS: Please note that the songs' list on this page is incomplete. The full list is:
1. Wait for the Sun
2. Realistic
3. Spider
4. Born Knowing
5. Dangerous
6. Walking Man
7. Lonely Boy
8. Out of your Mind
9. These Days
10. Ties that Bind
11. Serenade
12. Brand New Spring

4.0 out of 5 stars Impossibly delicate and beautiful, July 15, 2006

By 

Josh Rehman "hackologist and dreamer" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Realistic (Audio CD)

Mary Lorson's voice is sweet without being saccharin. One keeps expecting the voice to break, or to hear a glotteral stop, or some flaw because she is trying to be too earnest, or perhaps to drop too far into non-singing talkiness that modern folksingers tend to use when they have too many lyrics to fit in (which I don't like). She comes close to the last flaw in track 5, Dangerous, but otherwise keeps the lyrics, well, lyrical.

In places, especially track 2 "realistic", she sounds a lot like Suzanne Vega both in voice and song structure. "Realistic" could have come right off Vega's "Solitude Standing".

The music is quite listenable, perfect for relaxed listening or perhaps kicking back with (adult) friends. But the real star is Lorson's voice. It is something of an enigma, it's hard to pin down what it is that is so pleasent, because the intellect is saying things like "it's too sweet, too thin, not enough oomph". It threatens to be like Liv Tyler's speaking voice - completely without power and forgettable (except for the fact that it is so nondescript). And yet there's...something. She is like a french horn playing solo against a full orchestra - unassuming, almost drowned out by everything else, soft and non-prepossesing, but somehow so beautiful that the lack of actual strength can't keep that horn from being heard.

No, that's not right. Her voice is pretty and seems to take a lot of air to wind. She sounds like a voice on the open ocean, sweet but completely consumed by open space as soon as the sound leaves her lips.

This might be more of a production quality, certainly there are ways to process a voice to give it more 'oomph'. But I, for one, am glad they didn't do that, because it would remove what is unique and beautiful about Mary's voice.

I must deduct a star because there are some stinkers on the album, like the aforementioned "Dangerous". Besides, my standards are pretty high - 5 stars means "a classic", and while this album is very good (and your friends are sure to ask you who this is when you play the album), it is not a classic.