Customer Reviews

Tough on Crime

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

 

 

Rebecca Pidgeon is not a newcomer to the public eye. She has appeared in the movie "Heist" and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. But she has been singing since she was a teen, and has releases previous to this CD.

But this is her first new work in six years, and while her previous releases may be illusive, this one highlights her light yet attention grabbing vocals and her ability to write songs that fall into a mix of jazz or folk.

The CD packaging itself presents photos of the artist, with "hand written" track titles, production credits and lyrics. While being artistic, they were a bit difficult to read, and I resorted to the press package.

But it's the material inside on the disk that grabbed my attention. Her vocals are serene, subtle, like floating silk. Most of her tracks on this CD fall into the "jazz" genre and were for the most part impressive like a club singer that stands before the mike wearing a dress that sparkles like her voice. Harmonies are classic in style and only add to the wonderful presentation of the pieces.

There is a mix in of folk styled rhythms with soft and sultry jazz pieces. Both genre seem to mix for the most part, with a few exceptions. You get an impression of a softer "Cheryl Crow" in the title track "Tough on Crime" while presented with the "sexy night club singer" in "Tangerine". "Ordinary Blues" takes on a very definite "Steely Dan" feel but with more subtlety. The addition of Billy Preston on keys and Walter Becker probably adds to that feel in these tracks.

The production values by Larry Klein are smooth, professional and tight! The music is expertly woven to enhance Ms. Pidgeon's softer vocals and bring out the best in her music. "Candid Lady" is an outstanding example of good production and excellent mixing to bring out the vocal work, as is "Tangerine".

The lyrics are intriguing, sometimes resourceful in their content. She phrases them well, and they are understandable as she sings them. Topics range from "gambling ladies" to a lady of the evening in a "Tangerine" dress, to cops to sensational magazines. They all seem to have a common theme, that being some kind of association with crime.

Not every track is a winner. "Learn to Pray", the opening track, seemed lackluster in comparison to some of the other tracks, having a "folksy" feel to it. While I liked "Nasty Guy" it came off a bit soft where it could have taken some hard, strong vocals. The horn made up for some of it, but the lyrical content seemed to call for an "angry woman" type of vocalization.

"Magazine" discusses people types in the headline news, and has a catchy line in the lyrics. Nice melody as well, very likable composition. "Cigarette" again returns the "Steeley Dan" feel with a mystery criminal smoker as the theme.

"The Romance of Everyday Life" has a very jazzy appeal, old fashioned story of love at first sight and the catching of the same. The closing track "Come Back to Sorrento" is upbeat and slightly jazzy, recalling a time of love remembered.

There is a bonus track "Army Brat" which is most definitely folk/country in feel, some interesting lyrics about being an "Army Brat" with a catchy tune, but seemed out of place here.

Rebecca Pidgeon has some interesting music and vocals on this CD. I found the tracks I liked I really liked, but there were a couple of tracks that were uninspiring or not in tune with the rest of the feel of the CD. There is a definite feel of "Steely Dan" to the production of the music, but the lyrics and vocals are all Ms. Pidgeon's. Her voice works well with the sultry pieces but some of her compositions seemed to be calling for something a bit stronger.

I liked her style, her compositions overall were well developed and her lyrics are noteworthy, keeping with the theme of the CD and even having some memorable lines. This is a nice introduction to Ms. Pidgeon I look forward to this developing into future presentations. maf

I agree with my fellow reviewer - the CD gets better and better the more I listen to it. RP has a way about her - something really special that resonates in her music. I was fortunate to catch her at Joe's Pub in NYC recently. The music just flows out her. Her lyrics are crafty, smart, and crisp. Her melodies and rhythms are smooth and easy and make you want to sway like palms branches in a breeze. This is a great CD! Enjoy.

Rebecca Pidgeon has a unique voice that I love to hear.... I still play her Spanish Harlem over and over (from album Raven) -- I would like to hear a better band with Rebecca... and some different arranging and better recording. Her voice would go well with a grand and very small combo... perhaps acoustic guitar and rhythm..... I would predict a great increase in sales if she adopted a combo more suited to her voice. That said.... this is a pretty good album.

In the two albums I own, there are only two good songs, both on this album. Mostly her lyrics are too intellectual, but on "Tangerine" and "The Romance Of Everyday Life" she finds a nice balance of emotion that lifts them far above the others. The former is a really good song, which shows she does have it in her, and the latter is a very breezy, fun tune.

She has a lovely voice which is slightly limited in range, but very capable of working its way around a complex lyric. I just hope she will leave the literary prizes to her husband and write more from the gut and the heart.

I'm not sure why this album is going to be re-released on October 25 when I already have a used copy right here. Change in record labels again? Anyway, Scottish songstress Rebecca has been absent from the music scene for 6 years due to her marriage to director David Mamet, starting a family, and making some movies. Where she once had a distinct 70s jazz-pop retro sound ala Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Steely Dan, Janis Ian, etc., this album is more focused on a less eclectic selection of songs and sewn more tightly together into a definite updated jazz-folk sound reminiscent of producer Larry Klein's other female artist projects, most notably Madeleine Peyroux. In fact, if you're a fan of Peyroux's latest album Careless Love, I urge you to buy this and Pidgeon's three previous albums.

In a nutshell, if you combine Steely Dan's Two Against Nature album, some Suzanne Vega and a splash of Brazilian song structures here and there, that's what you will get. It is a soft, gentle romantic album that you can appreciate if you're my age (which is none of your friggin' business!:->), and Rebecca's phrasing is curiously more intimate and seductive than her previous outings. Best tracks? "Tangerine," which seems to be a loose play on the old Johnny Mercer song, "Tough on Crime" on which Walter Becker unsurprisingly makes himself right at home with one of his trademark guitar solos, "Candid Lady" which is a rather painful song about a woman who can't admit she's gotten to a point on her life where she is no longer so desirable ("sweet milk gone sour"), and my personal favorite, the flirtatious and lightly soulful "The Romance of Everyday Life."

This is a wonderful comeback from an artist who has always delivered a good album and written interesting lyrics. True, it's not New York Girls Club, which I recommend the most highly of all her projects, but it fits in nicely with her tapestry of work, and it makes a lovely artistic mosaic of gentle music and poetry.

Awesome! This CD gets better the more you listen to it. Sultry, sexy, and upbeat at the same time. Want to play it over and over again