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Thursday, June 19, 2008

CD Review: Ella Blame - Bitter Tears



Ella Blame - Bitter Tears
2008, Ella Blame et. al.

 Ella Blame is sort of a free form artist.  To listen to her songs is like watching a painter with canvas with a pre-filled background paint in the lead antagonist in his/her portrait.  Bitter Tears is full of interesting song poems where Ella Blame is more of a narrator than performer.   

Ella's voice soars and darts like that of the great Kate Bush.  She is an ethereal performer.  In general, however, I had a hard time with the material here.  There were exceptions, such as A Thousand Kisses and Bitter Tears.  The bulk of my issue here is the lack of structure or form to the songs. For me this is kind of a deal breaker for a CD.  Luckily there are tons of fans out there more into the free-form music/improvisation artform. 

Ella Blame is mesmerizing vocally, and the material on Bitter Tears is interesting even in light of the structure issue.  Consider this more of a personality conflict than a rejection, because there is a lot here to like.  Fans of free-form electronica and improvisation are going to eat this up; likewise fans of Kate Bush or other ethereal-voiced artists.  The other comparison that comes to mind is Milla Jovovich, who has played around in similar musical genres and has a similarly unique voice. Give Ella Blame a listen.  It will be hit or miss, but I promise you.  If it hits you you'll be thanking me. 

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Ella Blame at www.ella-blame.com.  You can purchase a copy of Bitter Tears at www.cdbaby.com/ellablame2.

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