Rebecca Frazier – Boarding Windows In Paradise
I like creativity & originality. So, think about this: the extraordinary vocalist Rebecca Frazier takes an old classic Roy Orbison song & applies it to her bluegrass style & the song is resurrected. No longer a vintage classic but a redefined masterly performed cover. Quite an impressive opening on her 11-track Boarding Windows In Paradise (Drops Sept 13/Amtoco & Compass Records/42:32).
Produced by Grammy Award winner Bill Wolf (Grateful Dead/Tony Rice) in Virginia & Nashville, TN the LP is filled with pristine vocalizing (“Make Hay While the Moon Shines”) coupled with modernist acoustic performances that have a current running through their strings. Rebecca’s vocals are infused with a tonality that is buttery yet never loses substance. Each song plays out with a vital endurance that’s at the end as it was at the start.
Rebecca (vocals/guitar/banjo) manages to keep her bluegrass music contemporary while running a fine antiquated thread through her arrangements that help to keep the tradition of the music authentic. Her assertive vocals are true to the bluegrass/roots genre & she brings stellar name musicians to the performances.
Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead would’ve been impressed with this showcase – especially the Alison Krauss-like vocal of “Borderline” (a Madonna cover) with its instrumental jam fusing the infectious song with deep draughts of melody. I don’t know if Rebecca smiles as she sings but she emits a good time, a friendly vocal tone (on the traditional “Saro Jane”). You can sense her smile through the speakers. Rebecca doesn’t sing these songs, she lives in them & decorates each with her breath.
If it’s not the musicians’ playing & the song itself that impresses, it’s Ms. Frazier’s voice. There have been many great bluegrass singers in the past but Rebecca’s borders on country-operatic (is there such a thing)? Her range is perfectly suited to the words & scatter of notes. She sings with confidence, with opulence & Rebecca is distinguished in how she presents her material. It’s never silly, cliched, or a novelty. It’s bluegrass as a serious musical medium. Like jazz, like easy-listening & vivid orchestrations. Having Rebecca Frazier sing – well, that’s the bonus.
Highlights – “High Country Road Trip,” “It’s Over,” “Make Hay While the Moon Shines,” “Borderline,” “Saro Jane,” “Train Is Moving” & “Cantie Reel.”
Musicians – Sam Bush & Andy Thacker (mandolin), Bela Fleck, Ron Block, Adam Larrabee & Scott Vestal (banjo), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Barry Bales, Darrell Muller, Erik Alvar & Byron House (bass), Josh Swift & Jay Starling (dobro), Shelby Means, Adam Chaffins, Andrea Zonn & Trey Hensley (harmony), Jesse Harper (guitar) & Isaac Eicher (mandolin/harmony).
A 6-page folded insert with lyrics is included. CD @ Bandcamp & https://rebeccafrazier.com/
