Love Spook - review by Tom Gibbs

Tom Gibbs for Audiophile Audition, published April/May 2005

The course of independent label offerings are hard to chart; while most performers on indies are given the kind of artistic liberty that may be elusive to major-label artists, that same freedom often results in works with limited commercial viability. I'd venture to guess that less than half of the independent label discs that come my way for review purposes offer anything that really grabs my attention - the truly stand-out artists are few and far-between. I'm often left wondering whether with proper direction from a seasoned producer, whether they might have made artistic choices that would have greatly enhanced the presentation of the material, or would have focused more on their particular strengths. Or perhaps would have swayed their vocal talents in other directions.

That's the unfortunate case with this particular disc - and it's not a matter of any preconceptions on my part that independent labels offer an inferior product. The sound quality and the instrumental support on this disc is first rate - I just don't happen to feel that the material here really showcases Ms. Bull's strengths as a vocalist. The inclusion of a number of originals by her is also admirable, but there's little here that sparked much emotion or garnered much of my interest. The oft-traversed territory she's chosen to work will engender some very tough sledding for her in the future - perhaps it will hold better results for her. Try before you buy it.

Copyright © 2005 Audiophile Audition and Tom Gibbs