Claudia Russell - Song Food
Radio Rhythm Records

By Ben Ohmart (more articles from this author) 2001-05-16

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Artist: Claudia Russell (www.claudiarussell.com)
Title: Song Food
Label: Radio Rhythm Records
Genre: Bluegrass, Country & Element X
Audio: I Second That Emotion (MP3)

The elusive Element X is difficult to figure out. Claudia certainly has the fluttering voice of a country star (and I do mean Star) and the ornamentation of bluegrass, but also there is jazz, pop, rock, easy listening (adult contemporary, if you like) in the gist of the disc. Yet like any good smelling perfume, the secret is in the secret ingredient. YOU tell ME what it is.

'I Second That Emotion' is a classic that's been dusted off plenty of times, but this is first bluegrass-like ballad version I've ever heard! Andy Ratliff's sporty, never-overworked banjo and Claudia Russell's own acoustic guitar make this into a version never perceived in The Big Chill. Claudia's smooth country voice ebbs in and out of the bluegrass arrangement like the one good girl in a whorehouse.

Speaking of Dolly Parton, Claudia has that kind of voice, a little lower than our big blonde friend, with a slight trill and a hopping, confident stride into all areas of southern comfort. 'Whiskey Walk' is much like country jazz, if there were such a dominating genre. A blues piano (thanks, Rob Strickland), a cool electric guitar from Eric Lewis, all held together with Kevin Sheahan lite walking bass, and of course Claudia is her usual, standard, brilliant self.

In short, quite the last kind of music you might expect from the offspring of a 1930s BBC Dance Orchestra vocalist (who's hit 'The Teddy Bear's Picnic' is known to all Goon Show fans, thank you), and a professional dancer (see mom in flicks like White Christmas and An American in Paris). However Claudia got into western beauty of songs like 'Tall Blue Candle' is hard to fathom. But those self-penned tracks show off the quiet strength of Ms. Russell's gentle bag of soul and song.

Her pick of instrumentation is a huge part of the greatness of this 40 minute piece of peace. Mandolin, violin, organ, accordion, acoustics, plug-ins; it's the sort of thing that could wind up in several different bins in the record store, the dominant section being the folk/acoustic setting.

Bottom line: well-produced kinda country, variety-heavy, fun-oriented, star quality voice, veering more toward the positive than the negative pole.

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