| Erin Boheme - What Love Is | |
| REVIEW
by Willard Manus She's beautiful, sexy, upbeat and clever, with a warm, pure voice that flows like honey--and she's only 18 years old! Meet Erin Boheme, who moved to L.A. from Oshkosh, Wisconsin two years ago and has just cut her first CD for Concord, WHAT LOVE IS. Mixing classics (Teach Me Tonight, Let's Do It, I Love Being Here With You) with originals (some written when she was 15), the new release heralds the debut of a major young singer/songwriter in the tradition of her heroes, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and Julie London. So moved by Sinatra was she that she wrote a song, One Night With Frank, which weaves 19 titles made famous by him into a fantasy about flying to the moon together. Produced lavishly by Gregg Field and John Burk, the playful ballad features Boheme's limpid voice backed up not only by a jazz quintet but a 15-person string section conducted by Richard Kaufman. The same string section is utilized on three other tracks. Obviously, Concord believes in Boheme and has been willing to invest generously in her maiden effort. The company has also chosen top-flight musicians to complement her work with the smaller configurations on the CD. Concord's other young stars, pianist Taylor Eigsti and trumpeter Christian Scott, can be heard on five numbers, joined by the likes of George Doering (guitar), David Foster (piano), Tom Scott (sax) and Billy Childs (piano). The group effort is impressive, but doubtlessly Boheme would sound great even with meager production values. The way she interprets lyrics, gets deep into emotions and sings from the heart with exquisite pitch and tone is just breathtaking. I'd fly to the moon any time with her. |