| Weba Garretson - Puttanesca |
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| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | |
| Written by John Sutton-Smith | |
| Sunday, 01 April 2007 | |
performance: 8 sound: 8 release year: 2006 label: Catasonic reviewed by: John Sutton-Smith Los Angeles-based artist Weba Garretson has been performing for more than 20 years now a dense and sensual, cathartic cabaret and vocal theater, against a funky/punky backdrop that spans a range of musical time and space, from Kurt Weill to the Chili Peppers via Waits and Beefheart and lots of other strange and wondrous views along the way. A worldly wise feminist, Garretson wears her political agenda on her sleeve, but with tongue firmly in cheek. A music veteran of arty new wave bands and the Weill/Brecht cover band the Eastside Sinfonietta, she weaves image-laden vocal riffs and wordplay against avant-garde lounge music, her spoken-word poetics bouncing off and slapping up against the heady mix of jazz, punk and rhythm. This latest collection with her longtime sometime band Puttanesca is a delightful set of dry, contemporary, funky and very funny essays, 10 original tunes plus a cover of Capt. Beefheart’s “Lick My Decals Off, Baby.” Garretson is an intriguing yet charismatic singer and performer, superbly complemented by the dizzying accompaniment of guitarist Joe Baiza (founder of the seminal SST band Saccharine Trust and the infamous punk/jazz quartet Universal Congress Of), drummer Wayne Griffin of Congress Of and bass player Ralph Gorodetsky, a veteran of both UCO and the Sinfonietta, Stand out tracks include the intriguing “Shiny Red Box” and the wry “White Nylon,” Garretson's deep, sexy voice countering Baiza’s sharp and searching guitar, ably supported by Griffin and Gorodetsky’s propulsive rhythm section. “Fruit-Filled Pancake” and “Fire Cracker Girl” show Garretson’s sly conversational tone and sense of theater to great effect. The Puttanesca sessions are the result of 10 years in the making, recorded with longtime collaborator (and husband) Mark Wheaton mixing the tracks while he and the in-demand musicians were involved in other projects. But the final product has a sense of timelessness to it, and proves that punk and jazz, blues, funk and cabaret are not mutually exclusive. At the best of times, like a meeting of the minds of Marlene Dietrich and Ornette Coleman, Puttanesca is sometimes demanding, sometimes thrilling, and always intriguing. Sound Meticulously prepared by Wheaton, the songs have had the benefit of time and perspective to evolve in the mix, and it shows. The arrangements are spare and uncompromising, stripped down to the core beat of drum, bass and guitar. The sound is sharp and clear and will grab you by the ear, as Garretson’s voice dances playfully over and under the groove. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
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