Voices Of The Archetypes is a smart, eclectic blast of psychedelic folk music. You could call it a concept album, the concept being the quirky subconscious of charismatic singer/songwriter Deena Chappell Smith. It's loaded with stories told in clever poetry and a wonderful palette of sounds. With all its bounciness and humor you might think you're listening to music written for children. I could see a child being mesmerized by Smith's lovable songs but this is definitely a full-fledged, grown-up endeavor. It's sort of like adult music for the kid in all of us. Hey, it worked for The Beatles.
Deena Chappell Smith excels in all the folk styles she burns through. There's bluegrass (complete with an excellent guitar pickin' solo), swing jazz, light gospel, pop, and rock, all interlaced with unclassifiable nuttiness. The nuttiness is apparent from the very first song “Corporate” in which Chappell Smith plainly tells her boss “Sorry, I can't work for you no more. You and I both know that it means nothing,” while a twisted river of chimes flows in the background. It's the end of her deadening corporate life and the beginning of her adventure as a jester songstress. It's also sharp comedy as Smith lampoons her former employer and the corporate life she's leaving. Smith and producer Eric Geoffrey Belcher drive their point home with a few comical sound samples of real life. The song begins with the sounds of a stressful office and closes with Smith leaving the office for good, complete with the clip-clop of her high heels as she runs for her life. This segues into the revving of the “Big Green Bus,” a full-on psychedelic bluegrass jam.
The same humor and creativity continues through the remaining seven tracks, along with top-notch songwriting and assorted surprises. “Song For A Child” stands out as a wistful ballad but it doesn't break the flow. Smith kicks it up a notch with the hard-rocking tune “Shadow Thing.” It's got distorted guitars and mature themes, giving us a glimpse of Smith's darker side. The album ends on a lyrical high note with “Pandora,” Chappell Smith's frenetic tribute to Alice In Wonderland. In Smith's trip through the looking glass, Alice is the confident explorer Pandora who leads the way through Wonderland's fantastic maze. Luckily, Deena Chappell Smith does the same thing for us with her imaginative recording.
Nathaniel Rolnick – MuzikReviews.com Staff
April 4, 2010
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