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Last Modified : 10-11-2008
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Individuality (Can I Be Me?)
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JazzDigger Home > F - Jazz Artists > Rachelle Ferrell > Item 8
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Individuality (Can I Be Me?)
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by Rachelle Ferrell
Sales Rank: 708801
Price:$12.34
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Album Details
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1. Individuality Can I Be Me?
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2. Sista
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3. Will You Remember Me?
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4. I Forgive You
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5. I Gotta Go
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6. Why You Wanna Mess It All Up?
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7. Gaia
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8. Run to Me
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9. Reflections of My Heart
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10. Satisfied
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11. I Can Explain
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Listener Reviews & Comments
Farrell's self-titled debut was notable for introducing her astonishing, multi-octave instrument of a voice, but the songs and arrangements (with a few exceptions) lacked the personality and singularity her vocals had. Her second release, "First Instrument," was an engaging collection of jazz standards that certainly entertained, but you still had the feeling that something was bubbling under this woman's surface, something deeper and greater. It finally explodes on her third release, "Individuality (Can I Be Me?)," and in an era of teen pop and street-savvy R&B, the question posed in its title seems to address music lovers at large...and any adult in their right mind will certainly answer with a resounding "yes!" The opening track finds Farrell singing, "I'm an individual, I'm into individuality," and may God love her for it. Farrell has clearly had the revelation that less is more; the tracks are arranged sparsely and feel wide open, the perfect setting for her striking, lushly-chorded jazz/soul compositions. The instrumentation is a treat as well, and covers ground between 70's-flavored Rhodes keyboards and muted guitars to (gasp! in the new millenium, even!) real drums and acoustic piano. What's especially inviting is the jam-session feel that gives way to the impression that you're sitting in on a musician's party instead of hearing mere studio product. Further to her credit, Farrell wrote or co-wrote every track, and the variety of moods is astounding...there's slinky, backporch blues (the title track and "Sista"), elegant pop/soul ("I Forgive You," "I Gotta Go"), slick R&B ("Will You Remember Me?" and "Run to Me") and gently-grooving funk ("Satisfied"). For added bonuses, Johnathan Butler lends hand at writing and singing on "Gaia," an ode to Mother Earth that is musically sophisticated and lyrically touching, and Russ Barnes offers a top-notch vocal on the sultry duet "Reflections of My Heart." But the crowning achievement is Farrell's use of her voice. There's a shockingly accurate three-octave jump (and a jump down, at that), seemingly effortless shifts in tone and projection, and, most strikingly, the take-no-prisoners experiments she indulges in on the funky "Why You Wanna Mess it All Up?," which include mind-boggling vibrato, noteless and wordless ad libs, and a run of notes sustained for twenty-eight seconds without taking a breath...one can only imagine what reckless vocal takes didn't even make the record. In the end it becomes perfectly clear that "Individuality" couldn't possibly have a better title. Of course, it's a shame that we probably won't get the chance to witness any of these songs on pop radio as a much-needed breath of fresh air, but then again the beauty of the record lies in Rachelle Farrell's fearless assertion of innovation, trends be damned. She puts it best herself: "If you don't like it/it ain't got to have nothin' to do with you." You go, girl.
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Individuality (Can I Be Me?)
by Rachelle Ferrell
Price:$12.34
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