Rachel Goodrich – Once Before
This is late-night listening, martini & lights down low. The initial tune is smoky, sexy, breathy & jazzy, delightful. Recording since 2008, the Miami native Rachel Goodrich (guitar/vocals) has a bit of the young Peggy Lee (“Why Don’t You Do Right”) tonality on “Why Do We Fall In Love?” Ms. Goodrich understands how to project a vintage sound without being too retro. Hers is an atmospheric performance on this LP.
“Art Deco Town” is more juvenile & innocent. Even with its muted trumpet, it’s closer to a Beat Generation ’50s chill-out session with lyrics similar to Lambert-Hendricks & Ross’ jazz style. Impressive. However, “The Moon” doesn’t sound confident. Maybe it’s because the subjects she sings about deal with vulnerability. That’s it. While the phrasing, intonation & arrangement here don’t seem to coalesce (yet), it shouldn’t be dismissed. The song probably needs to be performed live a few times to get the kinks out.
Produced by Chris Harford the 8 numbers here caress the ears like a feather on Once Before (Drops April 4/Soul Selects Records/19:09) — a faithful expressive effort. “Love You Still” bounces back. A nice tempo. Rachel manages to sound perfectly ‘40’s despite her Annette Hanshaw moments with her youthful pronunciation of certain lyrics.
Most songs aren’t supported by a Big Band/Swing propulsion. It’s intimate. Songs like “When You Know, You Know” require a deeper tone to have the necessary authority & experience. She sounds too young to know…you know. The song is well written. Give it time – this will be a winner.
I don’t hear any vaudeville, country folk, or indie-pop in this repertoire. Maybe in the past. But her forte is firmly in this genre. “For You” hovers closer to Norah Jones than a vintage singer from the ’50s (Patti Page, Julie London). Again, the song itself is good. It lacks vocal believability. Excellent guitar accompaniment & moody-heavy passages keep it interesting. Rachel doesn’t falter in her performance, it’s just that certain words require more depth vocally. She sounds like she’s cruising on a breeze when she needs to catch the wind. Julie London (“Cry Me a River”) caught the wind. Rachel should follow & she can.
Words need to be emphasized more, range expanded. Rachel does capture a contemplative edge on her “Dreamland” — far more suited to her timbre. An impressive piece that drifts around like smoke from a cigarette. Rachel is a fine entertaining singer. I predict she’ll capture an audience that enjoys the vocal stylization of lounge/easy listening aficionados. She isn’t going to be nostalgic, no – she’s going to make her music always sound like the genre never went away.
Highlights – “Why Do We Fall In Love?” “Art Deco Town,” “Love You Still,” “When You Know, You Know,” & “Dreamland.”
Musicians – Joe Russo (drums), Jon Shaw (bass), Rose Droll (piano), Joe Gullace (trumpet) & Kevin Kendrick (vibraphone).
Color image courtesy of Yuval Ofir. CD @ https://hemifran.com/artist/Rachel%20Goodrich/ & https://soulselects.com/
