Gentle Readers at the House O' Chicken

The House O' Chicken visits Atlanta's Gentle Readers

Wow! I wish that I could write a witty, terse, 30 word review of You In Black and White, the 2nd release from Atlanta’s Gentle Readers.

As I look through their press kit, I’m jealous that I’m just not that...uh.....succinct. But I like the record, just like all the smartie pants folks that wrote the other reviews.

Pop songwriting and hooks get you to swaying your hips and mouthing words you don’t yet know before you’ve heard the record twice.....always a good sign.

"Eiffel Tower"
(excerpt)
Real Audio G2

There’s a tense quality to to Susan Fitzsimmons’ lead vocals, a whiskey and cigarettes gravelly texture that isn’t compromised by actual whiskey and actual cigarettes. It’s this vocal style that gives the Readers their inimitable style. I’m not mistaking them for Hootie and the Blowfish or and of those sound-alike bands I hear at the gym and can never identify. I hear those songs and say to myself “I think this is Hootie and the Blowfish” and it never is. Yet it’s not such a one-dimensional focal point that that’s all you hear, like, say, Cyndi Lauper or Kate Bush.

The comparisons made to Indigo Girls make me cringe, but never having listened to an Indigo Girls record, I’m not sure why this is. The Feelies comparison really hits home though--it’s got the same poppy yet distant feel, the same undertone of something more complicated going on but you’re not being buffaloed by fancy production that’s really just covering up for something that isn’t there.

Lee Cuthbert’s songwriting has come of age, and her “hey pretty good for a girl” guitar playing (which used to blow away more than one 18 year old long haired boyish admirer per show) really rocks. The guitar is featured more prominently in this release than in previously, and the production qualities show more separation between the different instruments and vocals, which eliminates the charming but muddy wall of noise that always made me just a little cool on It’s a Sexy Life, Gentle Readers’ release #1. They’ve hit the mark this time.

This second release definitely has more depth and maturity than the first, and they’ve made some new friends that maybe will provide some cross-over or cross-marketing appeal or something that will actually sell some records. Never hurts to buttonhole Travis McNabb of Better Than Ezra for the drum tracks, and never hurts to re-buttonhole Paul Mahern of Zero Boys and Datura Seeds fame who’s now doing some work for fellow Hoosier John Cougar Boyscoutcamp. But it’s Fitsimmons and Cuthbert who drive the band (both literally and figuratively), set the tone, and make the record worth a spin. - Miss Diana

In the interest of journalistic disclosure, I went to college with Lee Cuthbert and would never, ever dream of saying something bad about one of her projects. I just wouldn’t say anything at all. I’m just that kind of girl.

The sound files in this article are used with the written permission of the authors and publisher.
Gentle Readers: www.gentlereaders.com
Flat Earth Records’ Cyberworld address: www.flatearthrecords.com; e-mail flatearth@FlatEarthRecords.com
Flat Earth’s Literalworld Address: 600 South Gray Road, Indianapolis, Indiana 46237 (317) 780-1313.

The CD is available at Amazon.com

Visit the previous edition of The House o' Chicken

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Submissions of recordings for review can be sent to The House Of Chicken, c/o RootsWorld, PO Box 1285, New Haven CT 06505.