Christina Courtin - Christina Courtin

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 13 / 8 / 2009

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There might have been a good back story to write about the making of Christina Courtin’s debut album. After all, Ms Courtin has opted to throw away her expensive classical musical education at New York’s Juilliard School and instead sing in night clubs. This despite being good enough to play with renowned cellist (and 'West Wing' season two guest) Yo Yo Ma. But, let's be honest, such an act isn’t such a sign of rebellion these days, is it? After all, she has essentially opted to abandon classical music, an art-form that (despite the reverence of its enthusiasts) is at society’s margins, in favour of a career that will likely be more lucrative. And, on top of that, she has generally opted for a polite and pristine form of country tinged with jazz, which might not be as glossy as MOR favourite Norah Jones, but isn’t far off. That isn’t to say that this is a bad record, because it isn’t (and besides, having a dig at Norah Jones is about the easiest and laziest muso-journalist trick in the book). But you sense that Christina Courtin is essentially a nice girl who went to a nice school and made a nice record. The lack of a distinctive personality creates some of the flaws in this album - a promising debut that doesn’t quite hang together. And yet, there are sparks of real talent here. Opening track, ‘Green Jay’ is wildly catchy, and comes with a delightfully childlike verve. ‘Mulberries’, meanwhile, is a beautiful, shimmering piano ballad, the perfect vehicle for her slightly nervous but emotional vocals. But on other occasions, she is either too conservative, especially on ‘Foreign Country’, which should have been a rip roaring country belter but never quite goes there, or too experimental, occasionally seeking a trippy ambience that neither fits the mood nor sounds convincing. During the second half of the album, especially, the impulse to hit the skip button becomes overwhelming. Perhaps the album sounds disjointed because she didn’t grab hold of it. The backing musicians have played with Tom Petty, Neil Young and Tom Waits - and perhaps the answer would in fact be to make the singer and songwriter the centre of attention. I’d certainly like to see what she sounds like live, freed from the mentors and allowed to do her own thing. Christina Courtin will need to face down a difficult decision in coming years, and she might then decide to rely less on her contact book. Ultimately, she could make a very good arty-jazz folk singer, or a very good populist country singer. I suspect she could succeed handsomely at either, but not both.

Track Listing:-

1 Green Jay
2 Bundah
3 Foreign Country
4 Hedonistic Paradise
5 Mulberries
6 February
7 Laconia
8 One Man Down
9 Rainy
10 Unzipped
11 Digital Booklet: Christina Courtin

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