ANDI STARR
NEW WARM WORLD
ALBUM REVIEW: July 6, 2009
"Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream. Following her brilliant 2007 release Leaving The White Line, Starr’s latest collection emerges as a rather mellow, introspective journey. A classically trained pianist who transfers her skills to the acoustic guitar, Starr weaves her signature legato melodies through all sorts of cosmic folk terrain on New Warm World. Though she plays a myriad of instruments (keyboards, electric/acoustic guitar, vibraphone, harpsichord, tongue drum, mandolin, percussion etc.), Starr shines brightest when she has a living, breathing rhythm section pushing her. Case in point: Chris Donohue’s warm fretless bass and drummer Greg Hardy’s jazzy brush-work add an ethereal dimension to “Rebel Sky.” Ditto “Go To The Ocean” (bassist Mark Hashimoto, Lee Scrivner on djembe) which is the stuff of Joni Mitchell in her remarkable mid-to-late 70s incarnation with Charles Mingus, Pat Methany, and Jaco Pastorious. Starr’s angular, avant-garde electric guitar backdrop to the folksy torch song “Sing My Song” is reminiscent of Robert Fripp’s work with the The Roaches as two diametrically opposed genres sit perfectly well together - highly recommended for pop listeners who wish to stretch their musical horizons."
--Tom Semioli
OTHER QUOTES:
“While L.A. might be overrun by aspiring hopefuls and Midwestern refugees, Starr should have no problem quickly distancing herself from the competition—her clear, lovely voice and clean, lean folk-pop instincts mark her as a career artist and not just another flash in the pan.”
-Barbara Mitchell, The Portland Tribune
"Andi Starr casts her emotions out to sea and opens a window with a clear view into her soul, paying no mind to pretentious pop formulas."
- Randy Sanders, "Columbia River Reader"
“Andi Starr hits the right notes: the notes that hurt, the notes that know you, the notes that make you meet yourself.”
-Culturespill Magazine
“A lovely collection of gorgeously understated material, Starr’s polished pop has all
the emotional depth of Tori Amos but without the histrionics.”
- The Portland Tribune, January 2007
“Intricate texturing -- swirls of strings and piano chords -- gives the tracks depth and
warmth, distance and maturity, evidence of healing and hope.”
- The Oregonian, January 2007
“Finally some talent!”
- Bryan Griggs, Rose City Radio Production Director (KXJM
95.5/KXL 750)
“Andi’s voice is silky and brings the sunshine.”
- UNSIGNED Music Magazine, (Who Were this Year’s Shining
Stars?), December 2005
Notes on "New Warm World":
After a regional summer tour in support of her radio campaign and release of Leaving the White Line, Starr packed up all her belongings in her van (with a partner and a cat) and headed to southern California where she has spent the last year creating, arranging and producing her fifth album, New Warm World. About this move from Portland, Oregon to California, Barbara Mitchell, staff writer for The Portland Tribune, wrote: “While L.A. might be overrun by aspiring hopefuls and Midwestern refugees, Starr should have no problem quickly distancing herself from the competition—her clear, lovely voice and clean, lean folk-pop instincts mark her as a career artist and not just another flash in the pan.”
Recorded almost entirely in her garage with co-producer/manager S. Asher Sund, Starr plays most everything on the album, including keyboard, organ, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, and percussion on New Warm World, which in many ways is a return to her roots, particularly her upbringing as a classically trained pianist---listen to songs "Go to the Ocean" and "Crow." Additionally, in an effort to capture the raw intensity of her live performances, several songs are recorded live, and in some instances in one or two takes---listen to songs "Under the Same Sky" and "Rebel Sky (Night Version). The title, however, also suggests a new opening for Starr. Characteristically melodic and hauntingly beautiful as her music and vocals have been described in the past, this album also radiates warmth and light, and is more personal in nature.
*Special guests include Chris Donohue (bassist for Emmy Lou Harris) and Aaron Plunkett (hand drums for the movie "The Titantic"). Also to be found here are cameo appearances of cello & sax, inlcuding John Altyn on guitar and baritone, Gregg "3g" Hardy on drums, Lee Scrivner on djembe, Mark Hashimoto on bass, Douglas Jenkins (The Portland Cello Project) on cello, Bob Bishop on sax, and finally, Starr's Portland band mates, Madison Christine (keyboard & harmonies) & Nicolas Hall (guitar & production) on "She's So Sweet".
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