Lisa Richards - Mad, Mad Love

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 25 / 10 / 2007

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Review

Australian Lisa Richards (now based in Austin, Texas) has chosen no less than four different producers to record this, her fourth CD. That so many different producers are involved could have been a disaster. The album could have been all over the place but thankfully Tim Bright, who produces the bulk of the album, along with Craig Reed, Billy Masters and Jeff May have all captured the beauty in Lisa’s vocals and the album actually benefits from having more than one producer. Billy Masters captures a different Lisa than Tim Bright for example. Lisa wrote or co-wrote with Tim Bright ten of the twelve songs here. The two covers are ‘Rags And Old Iron’ and ‘Satellite Of Love’ the Lou Reed song. Now Lisa, it must be said, has one of those voices you are either going to love or hate. It’s practically impossible to compare her to any other female singer which is no bad thing; to have such a unique vocal style is rare these days. By turns sweet and tough we can hear many female singers in her vocals but just can’t pin it down to anyone in particular. Lisa sings like Lisa Richards. It’s as simple as that. For some reason I can’t explain I expected Lisa to have folk leanings and while the odd song or two could be slotted loosely into that genre, much like her vocals finding a pigeonhole for the music Lisa makes is not easy. There are jazz, blues, country and pop flavourings to these songs and Lisa flits from one to the other with ease. It’s going to take a better man than this to nail this singer to any genre. The opening song, ‘Bloom’ is a summery slice of pop with a soulful edge due to Lisa’s expressive vocals and it’s probably this song more than any other on this album that will divide those who love or loathe Lisa’s vocals. For me it shows that here is a singer who is like no other, who is making her own way and who has one of the most distinctive voices in music today. In some ways it was an obvious choice to cover Reed’s ‘Satellite Of Love., One of his prettiest songs is given an even more delicate reading in Lisa’s hands and if one song here shows her vocal skills then it is this cover. She really does make a beautiful version of this song. And while we are on the subject of cover versions then ‘Rags And Old Iron’ which is probably best known by the Nina Simone version shows another side to Lisa’s vocal prowess, so much so that it could almost be another singer; this time all the delicate beauty in those vocals is replaced by a bluesy swagger. With a brilliant production and stunning guitar work by Tim Bright this really is a highlight of the album and one can’t help but wonder how a singer can change her style of singing with such ease and get away with it. But Lisa shows that she can also write the blues herself as the following song, ‘Daddy Please’ again produced by Bright follows in the same vein as ‘Rags And Old Iron’. The song after that, ‘Portrait Of A Lover’, another Lisa composition produced by Billy Masters, shows Lisa adapting a more laid-back jazz style. The most amazing thing about this album, apart from those stunning, unique vocals is that Lisa never makes the same song twice; she straddles so many different genres and takes on, and wins, so many vocal challenges that it is truly breathtaking that one singer/songwriter can cover so much ground over twelve songs. Lisa Richards is a major talent of that there is no doubt and with ‘Mad Mad Love’ she has proven that in 2007 there are few who even come close to her vocally.

Track Listing:-

1 Dance
2 Victoria
3 4_20
4 Rags And Old Iron
5 Bloom
6 Why
7 Portrait Of A Lover
8 Mad Mad Love
9 Satellite Of Love
10 Whose Chain 84
11 Daddy Please 84
12 You And Me