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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Katie Herzig Weightless Review by Gary Hill This is a good CD that showcases an artist who is hard to classify. The music here runs the gamut from catchy, nearly pop, quirkiness, to some stuff that’s almost progressive rock. There are times when Herzig makes me think of Kate Bush. At other points Tori Amos comes to mind. Whoever you’d like to compare her to, make no mistake, this is an artistic individual who manages to entertain and be creative at the same time. That’s quite a feat. So is taking music that for the most part is quite similar and creating an album of diverse songs that never seems monolithic. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2009 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Jack and Jill Bouncy and playful this reminds me quite a bit of Kate Bush, but with an almost country edge to it. It’s quirky and yet catchy.

Sweeter Than This It’s amazing how catchy this is, despite the strangeness. There’s a bit of that Kate Bush texture to it and yet there is almost old-time folk music feeling. We get some buzzing bees represented musically and there’s a backwards reprise of the song at the end.

Until You Try This is more of the same, and yet it is still its own creation.

Crazy Here’s an odd little bouncing number. I can hear Mazzy Star on this, but with a twisted sort of Hawaiian music added to the mix. It turns quite proggy with an almost early Pink Floyd texture as it carries on.

Fools Gold The vocal arrangement truly steals the show on this cut. It’s pretty and playful.

The Offer This feels rather soaring in nature. It’s pretty and potent. It’s one of the highlights of the disc.

Charlie Chaplin Mr. Chaplin never sounded better. This bouncy little number is folky and pretty with a little Chaplin shuffle. There’s a bit of a Tori Amos-like element to this.

Butterfly I like the analogy of a butterfly landing on a person as a metaphor for interpersonal relationships. This is pretty, bouncy and catchy. There’s a definite folk nature to it.

Not Even Close I’d possibly put this one into progressive rock. It starts off in a motif not that different than the rest of the disc, but there’s a harder rocking section here. This is dynamic and tasty with both some of the hardest rocking music here and some of the most mellow.

Weightless The title track is beautiful and gentle. It’s another I’d really not have much trouble including in the world of progressive rock.

Jenny Lynn This one is a delicate tapestry. It has a lot of folk music in it and is quite pretty.

Diamond Ring More tentative in nature, this is also pretty and tasty. It’s one of the mellowest pieces here and yet there’s some almost Pink Floyd (Barrett era) elements in the background at points.

Child I Can See Ya This has more energy than some of the other music on the disc. There’s an almost jazz sort of element to it at times.

Middle The disc is ended with this folky little piece. It’s good, but not the most obvious – or perhaps not the best – choice for a closer.

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