Published on Jan 16, 2002
Every so often, one hears a voice in the world of music that is
able to send shivers down your spine – and I mean that in only the
best possible way. Yet these voices often are featured in groups
who, for one strange reason or another, never are able to achieve
full-blown success, often becoming underground stars.
Example: If I asked readers how many people have heard of Mary
Fahl, how many hands would go up? Not too many, it looks like.
Example two: How many people have heard of October Project?
Okay, a few more hands went up… and, Duke, raising both
your hands doesn’t count.
Fahl was one of the two lead singers for October Project, a
group which was criminally ignored in their all-too-brief time
together. Fahl’s voice had the ability to bring a listener to
tears, and in the next breath paste a smile on their face a mile
wide. If only people had listened.
Fahl has returned, albeit as a solo artist, with
Selections From Lenses Of Contact, a four-song EP which
leaves me asking only one question: Where’s the rest of it? While
enjoyable, this is most definitely an unfinished portrait which is
awaiting completion… and I would have much preferred to have had
more than 15 minutes’ worth of music to sink my teeth into,
especially from an artist of Fahl’s caliber.
Like October Project, Fahl’s songs are not always the easiest to
approach on several levels; however, with repeat listenings to the
songs, their true beauty bursts forth and hits the listener in the
heart – right where it counts. A prime example of this is “Paolo,”
a song whose meaning I admit I still haven’t grasped, despite
listening to this disc on and off for the past three months. A
little easier to approach is “Redemption,” a song which clearly
demonstrates the absolute beauty of Fahl’s voice.
The two standouts on
Selections From Lenses Of Contact are “Redemption” and
“Meant To Say,” the latter bringing back wonderful memories of
October Project’s self-titled debut disc. Simply trying to place a
label on works like these fails to do them any justice – and, in a
sense, trying to describe the ethereal power that Fahl has in her
delivery in mere words falls short. In sum, listen to these two
tracks and become a believer.
Yet the brevity of this disc ends up hurting Fahl; the opening
track “Raging Child” just feels like it needed much more
development in order to become something noteworthy. As it is, the
song sounds like a work very much in progress. And, it’s sad to
say, Fahl finds herself fighting uphill for the rest of the disc to
overcome this initial letdown. By the time the disc wraps up with
“Redemption,” she’s finally gotten the ball to swing in her
direction, and she could have turned this disc into an absolute
tour-de-force… if only it didn’t end after the fourth song.
Make no mistake, I’d rather have four songs from Fahl than none,
and
Selections From Lenses Of Contact is a nice way for Fahl to
tell people she’s still out there, as powerful as ever vocally. But
I’m sincerely hoping that, in the near future, I’ll be writing a
review on
Lenses Of Contact, and not just talking about four
Selections.