“Life Is...” marks the international debut of Belgian singer/pianist
Susan Clynes, on New York based MoonJune
Records. This release was compiled from three live concerts done at two
different locations, each one with a unique band configuration.
The
Archiduc, an historic Art Deco bar in Brussels dating back to 1937, served as
the backdrop for two of these performances. The first was done in trio format
with Nico Chkifi on drums and Pierre Mottet on bass. The second was a more
intimate solo performance at the Library of The Cultural Center of Bree. The
third and final performance saw the return to the Archiduc, this time as a duet
with Simon Lenski on cello. Each band configuration provided its own framework
and pallet of tonal colors for these diverse sound portraits.
“A Good
Man” and “Ileana’s Song” make playful use of the drumkit and bass. These clever
songs lie somewhere between Slapp Happy-era Dagmar Krause, Elaine Di Falco’s
work with Thinking Plague, Annette Peacock and early period Kristin Hersh in
her band, Throwing Muses. The chiefly instrumental piece, “Les Larmes”, a
composition about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is brimming with emotional
expression making excellent use of the cello as a universal human voice.
The
distilled and emotive songs for voice with piano accompaniment bring to mind
such undervalued luminaries as Laura Nyro and Essra Mohawk. Susan’s piano work
runs the gamut from such radio-friendly performers as Tori Amos and Fiona
Apple, briefly dipping into Tony Banks-like arpeggiations and cascades, and
arriving at the jazz-inflected polytonality of French composer, Darius Milhaud.
Tracks:
1. Life
Is (4:21)
2. A
Good Man (3:49)
3.
Childhood Dreams (6:31)
4. Les
Larmes (9:35)
5.
Tuesday Rain (5:08)
6.
Ileana’s Song (3:37)
7 .When
You’re Dead (7:15)
8.
Pigeon’s Intrusion (6:00)
9. Le
Voyage (3:22)
10.
Linear Blindness (4:12)
11.
Butterflies (6:38)
SUSAN
CLYNES, vocals, piano (all tracks)
SIMON
LENSKI cello (tracks 3, 4, 7, 8 & 11)
PIERRE
MOTTET bass (tracks 2 & 6)
NICO
CHKIFI drums (tracks 2 & 6)
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