Leah-Carla Gordone - Phoenix From The Ashes: Rise

Year: 2008

Genre: Pop/rock/soul/folk/adult contemporary

SonicJive: http://www.sonicjive.com/lcgordone

Format:  CD

Total Time: 57:32

Reviewed: 20-October-2009

Track Listing:

01. a mother's lullaby 1:19

02. naked 5:40

03. sleeping dogs 3:15

04. what it feels like 6:30

05. i am your friend 3:57

06. sweet by-and-by 4:11

07. flyin' high 5:08

08. words 4:56

09. break 3:48

10. why 5:05

11. tomorrow's another day 4:24

12. rise 4:00

13. believe in me 5:19

Review:

Phoenix From The Ashes: Rise is a stunning album from Leah-Carla Gordone.  Born and raised in the heart of New York City, Leah-Carla is the daughter of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Charles Gordone. She has toured the country and parts of Europe. She has opened for Norah Jones and The Indigo Girls. 

Her autobiography The Motorgirl Memoirs: Adventures In Mania And Semi-Normality will be available in bookstores and at www.amazon.com beginning October 25, 2009.

Take a deep breath.  Light a candle.  Turn out the lights.  Pour a glass of you favorite wine.  Put your headphones on. Listen.

Inspired by real-life stories, Leah-Carla Gordone crafts exquisite beauty on this CD which is the musical appendage to her upcoming literary autobiography.  Both haunting and captivating in equal measure, Gordone's music is cinematic in scope, no doubt inspired by her fight with bipolar disorder and subsequent victory.  Lyrically, she is hauntingly beautiful and tellingly effective and vocally she emerges as an ethereal cross between Alanis Morisette and Rickie Lee Jones but with a uniqueness that separates her from the two.  Gordone is throaty and full when necessary and when the mood calls, subdued for effect, never overbearing or obnoxious.

"Naked" is the strongest track on the CD. Gordone is at her peak vocally hitting both ends of her range and everything between without restraint or effort. Dez Lawrence on keys is a magnificent accompaniment and really shines but make no mistake, this is a statement song by Gordone.  Immersible in mood and setting, "Naked" is a breathless dive into percussive waters, both invigorating and bound  to the need for love and the feeding of that fire and passion.  Its parts compliment each other in sum, as one would be helpless without the other, and this is reflected superbly in its arrangement. To put it more simply, "Naked" is one of 2009's most knee-buckling beautiful songs.

Additionally the CD features a number of highlights, including the achingly poignant "Sweet By-And-By", a tear-jerking ballad that is sublimely fragile and packed with sad but beautiful words.  The instrumentation on "Flyin' High" is atmospheric and effectively manifests an effervescence that flawlessly expresses its mood.  "Words" is a defiant lament that delimits the repetitive nature of bad relationships.  This enigmatic song has an upbeat and hopeful tempo that offsets its underlying, melancholy orchestration and dispiriting message.  Kelly Simmons on viola is superb throughout this song and the emphasis on the snare is extremely effective as well.  "Sleeping Dogs" is a funky groove/r&b/rap hybrid reminiscent of Me'Shell Ndegeocello .

Built on well-layered instrumentation and the stunning vocals of Gordone and an effectively understated band that includes Dez Lawrence and Kelly Simmons as well as Ryan Combs on bass and Tim Armstrong on drums, Phoenix From The Ashes: Rise is a work of magic.  Because of the autobiographical foundation created by Leah-Carla, this CD will always hold a special place in my collection.  But there is more to it than that.  The album speaks for itself musically and were Gordone's life story not attached it would still rate very favorably.  But the combination makes it that much more special.

Michael Canter, www.sonicjive.com