KAREN MANTLER – Business Is Bad
XtraWatt 3768680
Karen Mantler (vocals, harmonica, piano); Doug Wiesselman (guitar, bass clarinet); Kato Hedeki (bass)
This is Karen Mantler’s first XtraWatt album since Farewell in 1996, and in the meantime she has briefly been a Virgin recording artist, and recorded with parents, Michael Mantler and Carla Bley.
In the interim, Mantler’s song writing has perhaps become even more idiosyncratic, and I must confess that I am just not feeling this at all. The album seems hell bent on telling us about the hardships of maintaining a sometimes precarious life of a working musician in such a manner that for this listener the joy of the act of making music is totally suffocated under the dreary and wearisome lyrics.
If the languid tempos of the opening three pieces and the throw away accompaniment to the title track leave me feeling somewhat detached from proceedings then things are considerably redeemed on an attractively engaging ‘Winter Time’, with the suggestion of the sunshine to come and some fine bass clarinet from Wiesselman both in shadowing the melody line and lyrics and his brief solo. Also a piece of quiet and modest quality is ‘Surviving You’ with heart wrenching yet moving words being imparted with real emotion.
With these two superb tracks it confirms my initial thoughts that this is very much a hit and miss affair. A missed opportunity presents itself with the swinging bass line on ‘I Can’t Afford My Lawyer’ with a vocal that mars the performance. At her best as on ‘Winter Time’ and ‘Surviving You’, Mantler brings her song writing to peak, with her economical and lyrical touch at the piano is reminiscent of Carla Bley’s equally frugal yet succinct keyboard style.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
XtraWatt 3768680
Karen Mantler (vocals, harmonica, piano); Doug Wiesselman (guitar, bass clarinet); Kato Hedeki (bass)
This is Karen Mantler’s first XtraWatt album since Farewell in 1996, and in the meantime she has briefly been a Virgin recording artist, and recorded with parents, Michael Mantler and Carla Bley.
In the interim, Mantler’s song writing has perhaps become even more idiosyncratic, and I must confess that I am just not feeling this at all. The album seems hell bent on telling us about the hardships of maintaining a sometimes precarious life of a working musician in such a manner that for this listener the joy of the act of making music is totally suffocated under the dreary and wearisome lyrics.
If the languid tempos of the opening three pieces and the throw away accompaniment to the title track leave me feeling somewhat detached from proceedings then things are considerably redeemed on an attractively engaging ‘Winter Time’, with the suggestion of the sunshine to come and some fine bass clarinet from Wiesselman both in shadowing the melody line and lyrics and his brief solo. Also a piece of quiet and modest quality is ‘Surviving You’ with heart wrenching yet moving words being imparted with real emotion.
With these two superb tracks it confirms my initial thoughts that this is very much a hit and miss affair. A missed opportunity presents itself with the swinging bass line on ‘I Can’t Afford My Lawyer’ with a vocal that mars the performance. At her best as on ‘Winter Time’ and ‘Surviving You’, Mantler brings her song writing to peak, with her economical and lyrical touch at the piano is reminiscent of Carla Bley’s equally frugal yet succinct keyboard style.
Reviewed by Nick Lea