For someone who started playing on a beat up and busted guitar with only three strings, Sara K has come a long way. Sara K decided when she was fifteen that music was for her and more importantly that songwriting was. Since then she has released five albums prior to this live one and had features in anywhere from Acoustic Guitar Magazine to countless others.
The four bass strings stretched across the neck of her custom made Pimentel guitar give a deep, smooth and gritty sound to this as well as her other albums. No Cover was recorded live at St. Peter's Church in New York city, and contains thirteen originally written tracks including a slow and sweet jazzy number with special guest Chuck Mangione on the flugelhorn and a beautiful 9-string guitar in the background. Sara has became some what of a pro at performing live and for recordings just the same after all she has been performing since she was only seventeen and it obviously shows on this
particular recording. Her sweet high soprano voice carries through out every number but stands out mostly in "Tecalote Eyes", which is a song about a possible past love that forgetting about would be best because nothing could or would change things now. Her beautiful writing is something one must experience themselves, with lyrics like "I walk the river by your side I seen the pain that you survived most 'em dreaming in black and white and you say I have gypsy eyes." The whole essence of being a gypsy or a loner is completely summed up in those few words from "Gypsy Eyes." The acoustics and softness of this album is pretty overwhelming at times, particularly on "What You Don't Know" the acoustics on the percussion are the best feature next to her voice. The church was the perfect setting for this performance, also on the DVD version you can catch the full video version of this live recording (available through Chesky records.) "No Cover" was recorded live in three days right after another three-day rehearsal of her and the band.
Her high sweet but dirty voice is one not to pass up. Her unique style of guitar and music in general is one to take her much much further than following the crowd would. When music is being created or considered following your heart and forgetting the crowd is always best and it's quite obvious what Sara K does is in her heart through and through.
Web: http://www.sarak.com
http://www.chesky.com
This review is copyright © 2000 by Eve Morris, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.
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