2005-03-27
Vance's seventh recording delivers more of his high-timbre folk songs, occasionally touched either a country-twang or a jazz-inflected foundation. Sometimes his vocal delivery has been described as part Roy Orbison, part Nat King Cole -- and that's pretty accurate. Check out his Roy-like rendition of "Ten Thousand Skies" or his Nat-like vocal on "Unforgivable." Other interesting cuts are the atypical reaction to a military death notice in "That Front Porch Song" and the off-beat holding-the-world-hostage song "I've Got a Plane" (complete with scat-singing finale).LIZ DURRETT
Outside Our Gates
HARLEM PARLOR MUSIC CLUB
SALT OF THE EARTH
BRUCE COCKBURN
Life Short Call Now
SALLY SELTMANN
Heart that's Pounding
WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS
The Sparrow and the Crow
BEN HARPER
Lifeline
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.