Claudia Russell is a vocal and stylistic chameleon, able to move from girlish whoops of glee to heartfelt expressions of the joys and sorrows of aging. Her smooth, rich alto has just the right touch of tremolo, usually applied when she's singing a heartrending country song. She's also a fine picker and a songwriter blessed with keen insight and a dry sense of humor. This set, produced by
Russell with her husband and musical partner Bruce Kaplan (with extra assistance from Carl Byron and Mark Governor) sees the singer flexing her vocal muscles on a collection that shows off her vocal and emotional range. The album's "hit" is "Oh, California," a country rocker with a hint of bluegrass in its arrangement. It's a giddy celebration of the Golden State made poignant by
Russell's observations about growing up in L.A. where she was "not blonde enough, not tan enough." "Just Like You" is another stunner, a meditation on death and mortality with a mournful tune and a vocal that's equal parts anguish and anger. Judy Rudin's wailing harmonica adds extra drama to the track. On the country side there's "Lie to Me," a
Jeff Talmadge tune that puts a painfully insightful spin on self-deception, a bluegrass tinged arrangement of
Dylan's "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" with a mischievous vocal from
Russell, and "Galesburg," an original that shows her in a smoky, sultry mood. On the title track, she shows her way with a torch song, imbuing every phrase with a smoldering passion. The album's impressive melding of pop, country, folk, bluegrass, swing and classical American songwriting marks
Russell as an original talent with an impressively eclectic vision. ~ j. poet