Elizabeth Withers - Heartstrings (2007)This appears to be recorded from the audience and just show what you can do with today's camera's. This was one of my fave albums of 2007 and for some reason this clip recieves little or no interest.
Elizabeth Withers’ dynamic range seamlessly compliments Toby Gad’s production on the brief yet stirring LP ‘It Can Happen To Anyone;’ thanks to their teamwork there is not a wasted bar on the album. Experience sounds delightfully funky on the title track, "It Can Happen," Withers’ cautionary about loves’ sneaky ways.
Gad summons high paced snare and bass guitar as she warns that no matter what we do to avoid it "love don’t care at all." "Heartstrings," a tribute to a significant other, reaches climactic crescendo during the chorus and allows Withers to "wail a little louder!""It Can Happen" primarily concerns a woman’s work, evidenced by the humble lyrics of "Be With You;" Withers tries to re-woo a distracted lover, choosing to use her "skin tight jeans and lingerie" to save a relationship.
The album has quite a mature slant but Withers successfully ventures from the seriousness of tortured souls to the club scene on "Get Your Shoes On" and the emphatic "Sweat." Latin drums and bass blend with screeching chords on the latter, creating a riotous atmosphere for Withers to bleed dry. Guitar rifts invade the space at the latter part of the song, giving the bridge even more vibrancy.
The most intriguing and uplifting track, "The World Ain’t Ready," finds Withers exploring the struggles of closet homosexuals. Gad and Withers display the art of concise storytelling as the vocalist passionately exposes the plight of a young homosexual female and a drag queen: "Driving every guy crazy/ no one really knew/ the struggle she was going through/ playing different roles…afraid to be exposed," Withers explains over delicate chords and choppy snare.
The invigorating, bass guitar driven "Somebody" is another inspiring ode to self love and respect. However, Withers’ cover of "Wind Beneath My Wings" is a bit over the top. The song is musically sound but adds nothing to a tight mix about loving and clubbing. Despite a dry spot, ‘It Can Happen’ stands as a powerful celebration of human triumph and insecurity. Throughout the project Withers proves she is in a wonderfully different league of R&B that explores pain and pleasure but is anchored by hope - By Mike Ivey
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