"How Sweet the Sound" reviewed by Kevin Hopper

Subject: "How Sweet the Sound" reviewed by Kevin Hopper
Posted by : webmaster
12/01/2002 at 23:16:24

Message:

Kevin Hopper, "Backstage Pass" columnist for the Venue/Albuquerque Journal, reviewed "How Sweet the Sound" in the Nov. 22, 2002 issue of the Venue. Here is what he said:

When I listen to music, either at home or at a live event, I tend to gravitate toward music I've never heard before. Not that I listen to an album once and then toss it, but I'm attracted to music that breaks boundaries, sets precedent, that kind of thing.

I also listen to jazz quite a bit. And let's face it, not too many musicians are breaking ground in that genre save for Medeski, Martin & Wood. But rarely do I sit down and listen to songs like "What a Wonderful World," Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" or Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now." I do have a reputation to protect after all.

But after recently receiving the latest CD from local lounge hounds Todd Lowry and Kari Simmons titled "Songs of Inspiration," I let my guard down a bit. The album cover actually looks like something you would see being sold on late-night television, but inside, the music holds up thanks to Lowry's attention to detail on the piano and Simmons' sheer strength vocally.

Even though it doesn't break any new ground, I am strangely entranced with how these two just use piano and voice to create songs that build, wane, crest and recede. Most especially, the voice of Simmons (as petite as she is) beautifully bellows like an entire choir and just as quickly drops down to a lonely croon.

"Inspiration" is the pair's third CD and is a collection of standards that will fit right in next to your Louis Armstrong, Mel Torme and Al Jarreau CDs. Not surprisingly, the pair also has a Christmas CD. You can catch them nearly any day of the week playing places like Martini Grill, Milagro, Casa Vieja, O-PM and Vanessie in Santa Fe. For information, go to www.kariandtodd.com.