| Petra Haden and Bill Frisell Souvereign Artists # 1956 Downbeat's May 2005 Review Four Stars |
| Petra Haden shines as a vocalist and violinist. And it's no wonder: As one of jazz bassist Charlie Haden's triplet daughters, she grew up suroounded by a wide variety of stimulating musical styles and has been performing at a professional level since childhood. On these two CD's, (review also includes Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out) though, the young Haden reveals yet another gift: the ability to translate just about anything she hears-contemporary rock, standard ballads, traditional folk songs and classic pop-into her own strikingly original musical language. Initially released two years ago on the Canadian label True North, Petra Haden and Bill Frisell teams the modest singer with one of her father's collaborators on a 12-song program that bears little resemblance to what we call jazz. It's a refreshing mix with tunes by Coldplay, Foo Fighters, George Gershwin, Henry Mancini, Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder and Elliott Smith, plus a pair of traditional songs and one original composition each by Haden and Frisell. Haden's crystal-clear voice acts as a musical lens of sorts, bringing diverse genres into a crisp and singular focus that never fails to please the ear with its delicateness and deliberateness. Frisell plays the role of orchestrator, providing a gentle backdrop of layered and looped guitars for Haden's almost childlike vocal, which themselves are often overdubbed to fill out the harmony. Haden sweetens the pot with tasty violin lines that soar bird-like when bowed and bounce playfully when plucked pizzicato. The resulting arrangements are lush and classically tinged, with chords voiced smartly in favor of the melodic lines. |
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