Lorraine Feather - Language (2008) 320kbps

(Backing group varies track to track: Incl. Shelly Berg. Russell Ferrante, Michael Lang, piano; Grant Geissman, guitar; Michael Valerio, bass; backup singers Tierney Sutton & Cheryl Bentyne)

Don’t know how I missed out on Lorraine Feather until now. She’s had numerous CDs and is a super lyrics writer in the tradition of Dave Frishberg - writing about little everyday life experiences - often in ascerbic and witty ways - that don’t usually find their way into lyrics. She’s the daughter of the late jazz writer Leonard Feather and Billie Holiday was her godmother. Her mother was a singer with bands and named her partly due to the song Sweet Lorraine. She’s currently writing the libretto for an opera based on the book Bonfire of the Vanities.

As an example of the unusual sources of Lorraine’s ideas, she happened on a web site devoted to sports-writing cliches and decided to use as many of them as she could fit into the tune Hit the Ground Runnin.’ It’s about a couple who have some concerns but using optimistic sports lingo they’ll soon have them by the b....Traffic and Weather’s subject is the radio news reports she hears on local stations living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Very Unbecoming is about someone who is boring their friends with continual tales of personal victimization. We Appreciate Your Patience resonated with me like mad - it’s a parody of the recorded phone announcements you’re forced to listen to while being put on hold forever. Waiting Tables is about a would-be actress who is stuck waitressing somewhere in LA while she awaits her lucky break, and Where Are My Keys? will resonate with all of us since even the most responsible among us has at one time or another misplaced their keys. Various musicians have furnished the music for these tunes, and her band here are some of the best around. Feather is truly a fresh voice with some very original lyric ideas. By the way, she has a great voice and delivery too!

- John Henry