Music
 mary lee's corvette True Lovers of Adventure (1999, Wild Pitch Records) |
Fans of female vocalists who prefer both style and substance will appreciate the intelligent grace and skillful styling of singer/songwriter Mary Lee Kortes.
In this, her second solo effort, Kortes displays a range of genuine emotion that only someone who has been there and done that could pull off. From the wistfulness of One Thousand Promises Later to the bare honesty of Why Don't You Leave Him?, Kortes displays a strength of character that raises her well above the pack of whining babes clogging the contemporary rock airwaves. The arrangements backing her slightly smoky voice are richly layered yet compiled with an appealingly sparse hand: check out the Parisian-style accordion break in Love In Another Language and daydream about that time when you stopped for a cappuccino on the Left Bank and your eyes locked with the waiter's.... Kortes has a presence all her own which has won her a huge NYC following as well as cult status among industry insiders. Give True Lovers a try and find out why she's been dubbed "A modern-day Edith Piaf."
Diva's Day Off
(1999, Mother Tongue Music)
What happens when a self-professed Tart meets the reality of a husband, two teen-age sons and encroaching middle-age?
If you're the multi-talented Camille West, you pour your energy into creating a hilarious and spot-on musical portrait of life in the fast lane -- while you're carrying an extra-wide load. Diva's Day Off features such songs as Toe To Toe With The HMO, Viagra In The Water and the unforgettable Root Canal of the Heart (you haven't really learned the power of being able to laugh at yourself until you've heard West's musical tribute to falling in teen-age love with her dentist). This is no lame comedy album stuffed with self-conscious jokes about pantyhose and other dumb shit. West is an extremely talented musician whose voice would be well worth listening to even if you weren't distracted by her outrageous lyrics and unexpected rhymes. Among her many other projects, Camille West is 1/4th of The Bitchin' Babes -- catch them in concert on their current tour if you want to see West's unique talent in all of its fabulous glory. km
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