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Hello Stranger
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Hello Stranger
Aeronaut Records
Release: 8/8/2006
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Rated:
Review by:
Gisele Grignon
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Maybe Hello Stranger should be renamed Hi Again Donna Summer.
At least that's my initial take on this unusual band, made up of
Juliette Monique Commagere (vocals, keyboard, piano); Joachim
Herbert Cooder: (drums, keyboards, clavinet); and Jared Nelson
Smith: (guitars, keyboards, piano and bass).
But, if after the first cut, you can manage to banish or at least get
through the beat-triggered images of leotards, leg warmers, big
hair and bigger disco balls and that era's distinctive rhythmic
pounding, you'll be rewarded. (If on the other hand, you really do
not-so-secretly yearn for all things '80s, disregard the following
and press the repeat button on your ghetto blaster/boom-box
now).
Once you blow off that sweet and frothy but weightless opening,
you're left with a long tall satisfying drink of palate-pleasing
ingredients you can either sip slowly or chug to your heart's (and
ears) content. Such as?
For starters, there's Commagere's strong, slightly coarse vocal
talent that only seems to get stronger, more confident and
convincing with each verse. By the third cut, she's traded in almost
all hint of cute for coy and added yet another layer to this
mille feuilles talent. Not only does her voice feature
multiple layers as does the French pastry, but it's just as
tasty.
Her mellow, softer side gets a shot at the spotlight in "Kubrick
Eyes." Can't quite put my finger on it (orchestration? lyrics? tone?),
but there's something in this track in particular that unearths
memories of Karen Carpenter. Quirky "Es Tu Vida"
pays homage to Commagere's half-Mexican heritage. Heritage and
lineage play important parts in Hello Stranger: Juliette's brother
Robert plays bass viola, bass and organ (track 11) and Cooder's
dad, legendary guitarist Ry Cooder produced.
Cheesy wordplay alert: You may be asking for Hello Stranger in the
CD shop, but by the time you get it home and play it just once
you'll be referring to it as Good Buy Stranger - as in : worth every
penny. |
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