Artist: Elizabeth Geyer
Album: The Bridge
Label: EG Records
Year Of Release: 2016
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Tracklist:
01. The Bridge
02. Waterfalls and Rainbows
03. Goodnight Romeo
04. Home
05. Perfect Life
06. Rain Falls
07. The Party
08. The Jewel
09. I Weep
10. Postcards from Paradise
11. The Wall
12. Place to Fly
13. Rose
Elizabeth Geyer invites you to join her on a journey seven years in the making. The renowned trumpet player turned flugelhorn turned vocalist has released a very personal album titled The Bridge.
Make no mistake about it Elizabeth still plays all of those instruments including the piano. You are probably wondering how someone that recorded instruments changed over to vocals? Well as she notes, “I had to find my voice.” Lord have mercy, did she ever.
The Bridge is aptly titled as this lady gathered up all her courage and crossed that bridge into unknown territory. I am here to tell you it was a successful trip. Her voice is beautiful, inviting and warm. She commands a song, she owns it, with an innate sense of melody and lyrics this performer knows how to put together a story in a song and make it all believable.
Another multitalented individual in his own right, Paul Adams, produced, engineered and mixed the album and was kind enough to introduce this amazing talent to me. In addition he played guitar and all the instruments that Elizabeth did not.
“The Bridge” opens the curtain, which is the most important track on any album as it sets the tone for everything else and the fact that it is the title track is all the more poignant. The instrument that is the key to these tracks is the piano, it lays down a solid foundation to build upon. The notes float off her fingers like the petals of a flower coming in for a soft landing on the morning grass. It is tasteful and a perfect lead into the rest of the album and the literal “bridge” to the rest of the story.
The more I listened to this album the more I realized what a great soundtrack it would make for a movie, when in fact it the artist playing her own movie for us to hear through music and words. I must say even though the piano is the most important instrument on this album the horns come in a close second. The brass gives it some nice smooth jazz tones while the piano has a more contemporary feel to it with influences drawn from classical and new age blending nicely with all the other elements presented.
One of my other favorites was the heartfelt track “The Jewel.” The song is too one very special person in the life of an artist going through change, stepping through the fear with courage and getting on with what her heart desires. We all need special people in our life for support, to lean on once in a while and mainly believe in us no matter what. That is what I heard on the track and I will leave it up to the listeners to decide what it means for them.
It is my practice to choose three key tracks but to be perfectly honest I could have easily chosen any one of the 13 offered on this album and would have had plenty to say. It is all very good. But “Postcards from Paradise” I felt was a prolific track with the perfect ambiance added to accompany the wonderful voice of Ms. Geyer. It made me feel tingly all over like I should be talking a walk on the beach at a favorite vacation spot.
With The Bridge Elizabeth Geyer has triumphed in every way possible. As far as this listener is concerned it is a perfect 5/5 stars!
