1.The Rose 2. Dreaming 3. Errol Flynn 4. Hot In Here 5. Crimes Of The Heart
6. Amanda 7. Ship In A Bottle 8. Wheels 9. Best Friend 10. Whoever You Are
11. The Portrait 12. Those Eyes 13. Dance 14. Here And Now
15. Make Me A Kite 16. No Fear 17. From Where I Stand 18. A Timeless Thing
Geckco Records
At long last Amanda McBroom has released some of her best work on one album: ¡®Portraits¡¯. The plural in the title of this album is particularly apt. Not only is the listener afforded an insight into the psyche of Amanda McBroom through the no less than 18 songs generously provided on this disc, but portraits of her family are also supplied in the form of ¡®Errol Flynn¡¯, dedicated to her father and ¡®The Portrait¡¯, to her mother. Both are well known to her fans but the other material on this album helps us track the highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies of this gifted singer-songwriter thanks to her trademark openness and honesty.
We have Amanda McBroom singing of herself as child, youth and mature woman in songs such as ¡®No Fear¡¯, ¡®Dreaming¡¯ and ¡®Hot in Here¡¯, the latter a gloriously sultry and poetic new work. We hear her as hopeful and vulnerable in ¡®Ship in a Bottle¡¯ and ¡®Best Friend¡¯; we meet her even in the depths of despair, as in ¡®Crimes of the Heart¡¯ and ¡®Dance¡¯.
Few songwriters could write and perform so openly and honestly without appearing mawkish or self-indulgent, (the singer has written the lyrics of all 18 songs and composed the music for half of them) but McBroom¡¯s art lies in the deceptive simplicity of her composition being married to her ability to express profound and universal truths about the human condition. We¡¯ve either all been there or know it¡¯s where we¡¯re heading!
The other glorious thing about any Amanda McBroom album is the quite exquisite production each work reflects. If the singer sounded any closer or more vibrant you¡¯d have to pull up another chair. Amanda McBroom consistently records real ¡®hi-fi¡¯ albums, state-of-the-art recordings that command attention and make pure listening pleasure. What¡¯s particularly astonishing in this context is the fact that this is, of course, largely a compilation of previously released material, some of it dating back to the early eighties. The sleeve notes provide fascinating background information on the techniques and production values that have accompanied her throughout her recording career.
Apart from ¡®Hot in Here¡¯ there are three other newly released recordings on the album. From 1991, ¡®Wheels¡¯ is typical of McBroom at her best, using commonplace imagery and familiar items to symbolise deeper truths. The singer builds from quasi pianissimo to full voice and then artfully brings the song back down to a quiet ending as her sumptuous voice reflects once more the journey from carefree childhood through adult contentment and into a feisty, resilient old age.
¡®Whoever You Are¡¯ is a new work, the result of a collaboration with composer Tom Snow. The song appeals to several senses: the touch of a finger, the sound of a whisper, a glimpse of someone¡¯s eyes. McBroom¡¯s voice is eminently suitable for the task, creating colour, texture and warmth to bring out every possible nuance of the lyrics.
Those who are fans will have bought this already. As for the rest of you, what are you waiting for?