Published on Jul 12, 2003
You longtime readers of the DV know that Christopher Thelen, Our
Founder, and I play several little games in our reviews. His
favorite, for example, is to make sure that he gets in an
occasional comment about my fanaticism for October Project (for an
illustration, check out his review of OP lead singer Mary Fahl’s
first solo EP,
Lenses Of Contact
). In return, I make sure to keep comparing making occasional
references to October Project and the sheer ignorance that killed
their recording career — think of it as my own personal version of
remembering the Alamo.
However, there will be no October Project reference in this
review, save one…
This is NOT an October Project CD.
After a long absence, Mary Fahl has returned with her first
full-length solo CD,
The Other Side Of Time — and it’s a departure from the
sound of October Project entirely. From operatic (Donizetti’s
“una furtiva lagrima”) to almost bittersweet (“The Other
Side Of Time”), Fahl’s repertoire is unique and idiosyncratic,
somewhat of a departure from her past work.
So is it good? The answer is yes, but…first off, the
recording is peerless. Engineering and production are perfect,
focusing on Fahl’s steam-and-honey alto voice — which is exactly
as it should be, given the magnificence of that instrument. Its
power and passion is uncompromised.
What in the final analysis turns
The Other Side Of Time from a great to a good CD is the song
selection. Some tracks work — “Paolo” and “Raging Child”, which
originally appeared on Fahl’s
Lenses Of Contact EP; “Into The Great Unknown”; “Want To”,
“Redemption”; and “The Station”. Some don’t; specifically, I’m not
at all fond of the pseudo-Celtic,
made-for-a-movie-soundtrack-Celine-Dion-lite “Going Home” and “The
Dawning Of The Day”. Interestingly enough, both are from movie
soundtracks; I won’t be going out of my way to purchase them. In
many ways, Fahl’s song selection is similar to Sarah Brightman’s
solo work; and just like Brightman, the CD can rise or fall based
on the appropriateness of track selection.
In summary, Mary Fahl’s voice is still a brilliant thing,
breathtaking and rich, and
The Other Side Of Time is still a decent piece of work. What
I suspect is happening is that some pinheaded A&R man at Sony
has decided Fahl needs to appear on every mellow movie soundtrack
that Enya and Celine aren’t already signed to do. My suggestion is
to dump him or her into a bucket of piranha forthwith, and let Mary
Fahl be Mary Fahl.