Published on Mar 30, 2000
One of the biggest drawbacks I have with this job isn’t that I
have to occasionally listen to dreck. Instead, it’s that I don’t
have enough time in the day to catch up with the numerous albums
that sit waiting in the Inbox of the Pierce Memorial Archive. One
such disc that has been sitting around waiting for me to get to it
is
Sun from Lisa Hayes And The Violets. Fortunately for me, the
label has been patient, Hayes doesn’t know my home phone number to
call me and tell me to get on the stick… and the disc turned out
to be well worth the wait.
Hayes reminds me of many other female artists, namely Kathy
Mattea, Kim Richey and Melissa Etheridge. There’s enough of a light
country twang in the music to explain the first two comparisons,
and both a splattering of pop sensibility with lyrical openness to
earn the comparison with Etheridge. But make no mistake, Hayes most
definitely has a style and sound of her own – and what she brings
to the music scene is incredibly refreshing.
Multi-instrumentalist Cisco DeLuna is a major key to the sound
of this band. Whether he’s contributing dobro, lap steel, mandolin,
accordion or what have you, he helps to give the sound of The
Violets a unique and special flavor. Special mention should also be
given to the rhythm backbone of bassist Chuck Bramlet and drummer
Jano Janosik.
If
Sun does anything for me, it reminds me of what it was like
for an artist like Etheridge to be hungry for the spotlight. And,
with rare exception, Hayes and the band do not disappoint, causing
the listener to both smile and put some thought into tracks like
“Open Your Heart,” “And There You Are” and “Everybody Wants To Be
Like You”.
Hayes powers through these numbers on vocals and guitar with all
the confidence of a veteran – something you don’t hear from a
relatively unknown artist. With skills like she and this band have,
“unknown” is a label she won’t have to wear for long.
The only drawback to
Sun is that it’s a little too easy to allow yourself to be
taken in by the music, and to lose focus on what is being played
and said. “Sherry Swings” and “Don’t Forget About Me” almost get
completely lost in the shuffle between two killer tracks,
“Everybody Wants To Be Like You” and “Love”. Still, this isn’t a
major flaw, and it is something that is remedied with experience as
a songwriter.
Sun might not be topping the sales charts of your local
store, but Hayes And The Violets have crafted a wonderful album
that is more than worthy of your attention. Here’s hoping that
someone gives this band the break that they’ve proven they so
richly deserve.