Album Review
3.5 Stars (*** ½)
By Anthony Kuzminski
{But the album here or here}
In the music world, we often pay so much attention to those upfront and center we tend to overlook the talents standing in the shadows that help bring the artist’s vision to life. While they may not receive due consideration, they are fundamental to the artists career. Could you imagine Bruce Springsteen breaking through without the E Street Band? Or seeing David Bowie without Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar or Gail Dorsey? How about Elton John without long time guitarist Davey Johnstone? Even the newly formed New York Dolls, who are missing some integral members, have muscle behind them in guitarist Steve Conte and bassist Sammi Yaffa, who aren’t mere replacements but channel the spirit and soul of Johnny Thunders and Arthur Kane respectively. These names may not be entirely familiar to you but they give the artists music shape, fleshes it out and helps elevate it to the heights that it is engrained into our psyche for all eternity. They implant the music with soul in ways an accomplished session musicians could only dream of. Lorenza Ponce is one of these unheralded artists. You’ve seen her on tour with Sheryl Crow and Bon Jovi along with dozens of television broadcasts with everyone from Pearl Jam to Michael Buble to John Mayer. She’s also an in-demand session musician who has worked on recent albums by Fall Out Boy and has worked with such illustrious producers such as Tony Visconti (T.Rex & David Bowie). Her resume can’t even be called extraordinary, it stretches beyond mere words. She can now add significant solo artist to the ever growing resume. Soul Shifter, her fourth solo record, but her first to embrace the foundation of rock n’ roll is a stunning album that defines her as more than “the girl with the violin”. On Soul Shifter Ponce has taken an excursion from her new age experience to embrace the underbelly of rock n’ roll. While it isn’t a guitar heavy affair, it still holds enough bite to make you stand back and take notice. At the forefront of the easy-on-the-ear recordings are piercing and outspoken lyrics. Delving deep into her psyche and heart are commentaries on artists who have lost the plot, sensuality and the search for faith and meaning in a world that defies logic. Imagine Alanis Morissette in a jazz club with a hushed sultry voice, an enticing violin utilized like a Les Paul that tempts the soul and you have Lorenza Ponce.
Kicking the album off, “Casual Girl” is a slow moody declaration of thwarted fantasies which are fit between a paradox of mind and body. Ponce’s voice is seductive as it pulls you in like a whispered secret in the night. Her violin is only in the forefront for the song’s solo. “Casual Girl” sets the tone for the record as a paean of longing for the need of another whose heart becomes unhinged and yet the temptation and desire doesn’t bring solace. In a pop world filled with songs about scorn, Ponce turns the tables and has created a sultry tune of enticement and desire. Notice is served immediately that Ponce is anything but casual, but will challenge her audience with complex narratives where questions may go unanswered. “Remedy” is awash with cooing backing female vocals that help augments the song. The minimalism of the production allows the listener to relish the subtle nuances of organ, violin and percussion. The song is steeped in an insatiable aura where the narrator defines love as an incurable curse. “Baby Please Don’t Go” is a raved up violin driven scorcher done in a wholly distinctive and stylish arrangement you won’t soon forget. Some bluesman somewhere tonight will hear think and give a winking endorsement. The longing for an unforeseen need continues on “Frostbite” with a chorus that is sung angelically. She delicately paints a picture that balances love against resistance. “What Happened To You?” is a glacial analysis of a nondescript artist who has misplaced their muse. The bluesy beat is ominous like a fuse slowing burning until her violin compliments the lyrical assault in a contemptuous solo. I’m not sure if there has ever been a more undeviating denunciation of artistic bankruptcy. (“Once upon a time you could make us feel / You was what our God was all about”). It’s more than a finger pointing conviction but a call-to-arms to reignite those creative juices (“Now we’re all waiting for you/ And you’re way overdue”). The violin at the closing stages of this track brings the fervor of the lyrics message into view. “Testify” is a simplistic ode with a slab of banjo highlighting the search for the tangible consequence in life. We live in our past, holding so much from within and the lyrics delve into whether or not we will come forth expunge our souls and truly live life without fear (“Can you stand up, look me in the eye and testify?”).
“Soul Shifter” is a zapping retro piece with ELO-like strings and brooding lyrics about an inexplicable inspiration about how art can bring perspective and influence into one’s life. The song musically is framed by an understated organ and rhythm that builds to a combustive finish. When I asked Ponce about the title and inspiration, she responded, “A ‘Soul Shifter’ is someone who will turn your blue mood into joy and laughter, without you even thinking about it. They are so cool, funny and genuine that you can’t help being drawn into their world. Frank Sinatra was one of these people. His music, charm, and talent were so significant that to hear him sing, read his interviews, or watch old footage of him performing; all of it is profoundly is uplifting. He is a ‘Soul Shifter’. I would also consider Dolly Parton, and Keith Richards ‘Soul Shifters’. On “Let It Down”, a cover of George Harrison’s solo cut from his debut solo LP, All Things Must Pass Ponce matches the visceral imminence of the original with a languid tempo which compliments her silky vocals. The chorus is delivered like a declaration. The emotional frankness of the performance works beautifully with the rest of the album’s themes. “I Won’t Lose Faith” closes the record and is a sobering and melancholic ballad reflecting on disenchantment with the state of the world. This six-minute lament is not preachy or sentimental but an opulently produced and discreet song that allows you to ponder the faults of the world while concurrently instilling faith. It’s the perfect way to end the record with a beautifying glance into the existential matters her heart. There is an overriding sense of empowerment and yearning which build throughout the album’s ten songs, which are best digested in the album’s running order. As each song unfolds, you’ll unfurl a piece of your soul and more importantly, it’s a body of work that forces one to deliberate their place in life.
Lorenza Ponce’s years working behind the scenes have done her well as she has crafted a body of work worthy of deep dissection and discussion. The characters that inhibit these songs find themselves in regrettable situations but it forces them to come to terms with their life paths and how to veer back on course. The album’s sound and production is downright lush; tight instrumentation with honeyed vocals which ultimately are embroidered by her fanciful violin which never engulfs the song but merely allows it to steal the spotlight momentarily. More remarkable are her mysterious and tranquil vocals. She sings with self-assurance and a sensual demeanor that makes one ache with regret at missed opportunities. Soul Shifter offers ruminations of life and love conveyed with offhand grace vocally and musically. It is an intensely personal collection of songs where characters are wise, confident and in control of their destiny through their own devotion and resolve. Ultimately Soul Shifter is an endearing record because the songs paint precise visions and the musical trimmings help form the images in our minds in an experience that is downright cinematic. The sequencing puts the themes into a widescreen perspective where they expose themselves to us one by one like mini chapters of her life. Yearning, needing, confidence, brutal honesty and in the end optimism infuse the thematic composition of Soul Shifter which is more than a mere collection of songs but ten revealing vignettes with depth that share a lineage with one another.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
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