THE KEEP

Especially being in love with and fascinated by Kate Bush--still unmatched and incomparable in so many ways--I found myself quickly enamored, if not captivated, by Happy Rhodes. Basically carrying on that legacy into the next decade(s), how could I not be pleased? What will always be most remarkable, though, in addition to the clarity and beauty of her voice, is her vocal range: absolutely spectacular. Her impossible lower register I've understandalby seen compared to Annie Lennox.

I do think back often to how I came across her; she was the second vocalist for The Security Project. The group was founded by Jerry Marotta, touring drummer of Peter Gabriel's earlier bands, and Trey Gunn of King Crimson, and cover material by Gabriel and Bush (the latter merely because of Happy's involvement). Their cover of "Humdrum" is a repeat regular for me.

When it's not necessarily what one would even broadly consider "progressive", Happy gives us a helluva lot of beauty and grace. Here, this in no way resembles the production on her previous album(s).

Most notable is her acoustic renditions of her songs "Collective Heart" and "Hold Me" (both already certain highlights from her 1994 album Building the Colossus, which should definitely be checked it out), an acoustic medley of Yes songs (most recognizably featuring "Soon" off Relayer), and the beautiful, enchanting "Look For The Child".

This album is very soft, very acoustic in nature. That should really be said. Plenty of great moments instrumentally, but you will have to dig for them. Hopefully my notes in the paragraph above are of some help. There's a reason why I talk about what brought me to her far more than the album itself.