Sarah Walker
CD REVIEW
Sarah Walker - Disapora
Published by S. Walker 2004
10 songs
The 10 tracks on this CD were all penned by Ms. Walker: it is incredible to believe that this CD represents her first incursion into songwriting, on a career trajectory that began fairly recently. Sarah has already played several of the songs from this CD live on Michael Stock´s weekly WLRN radio program.
Some tracks do bear witness to Sarah´s recently developed songwriting talents: an uncomfortable chord progression, or a less than well rhymed lyric can be heard on one track or another. However the majority of tracks display a maturity of skill that contradict Sarah´s claims to be a relative songwriting novice. Sarah brings a depth and breadth of musical styles to her compositions: many of her songs are built around Latin rhythms, particularly those of Brazil. This may also be due to the influence of musicians who play with her. Sarah´s writing and singing style remind me of Cassia Eller. Sarah could benefit from pushing her own vocal limits as Ms. Eller did in her recordings.
Sarah has created memorable melodies: I keep humming one then realize that it is from the last track on the CD, Prophets. I recommend to any fan of the singer /songwriter genre that he or she should seek out a Sarah Walker concert and judge the quality of her writing. Sarah plays at the Luna Star at least once a month so that is a good venue to contact and check for concert dates. As with her CD recording, her live performances are accompanied by the competent guitar playing of Neris Gonzales. Ms. Walker demonstrates talents for songwriting and performance that only a few have so far recognized. I am sure she will reach a wider audience quickly as her confidence and stage presence develop through more gigs and touring. I look forward to reviewing more of her work.
Reviewed by John Barker / May 2004
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