Petina Cole: Press

WORKS FOR FLUTE BY PEOPLE I KNOW

Crazy Street Records - TR1214
New York flutist Petina Cole creates stunningly beautiful interpretations of music written by noted composers including Daryl Kojak, Katherine Hoover and Walter Skolnik, with Petina co-writing a couple of the songs with Kojak. Augmented primarily by piano and other woodwinds her flute work commands your attention throughout the disc. From the emotive jazz ballad "I'm Ready To Try" to the earthy solo "Kokopeli" and lively classical tinged "Pavane," Petina proves on this debut that she has the talent to become a modern day master. URL: http://www.handlewithcare.com E-mail: gparenteau@aol.com

HAZEL LORD - VENUS IN THE
STREET
Album Review by EDF

The first notes from this album’s opening track MYSTIC DIVINE reminds me of Fleetwood Mac from around the Rumours period. What Hazel Lord seem to have done is go back to the seventies where lyrics and melody once ruled the music world. This New York based group has a pleasant feel to them and while some people might call their music safe, there are not many groups that produce this sort of music anymore.

At times Petina Cole’s vocal mixed with Susan Mitchell’s violin playing give the group a country sound that catches you off guard. A TRUE LIFE CONEY ISLAND OF THE MIND lyrically might or might be a sort of homage to Billy Joel’s NEW YORK STATE OF MIND and is easily one of the highlights here. Elsewhere there are ranges of influences to be found here which could be attributed to various MOR acts. On the other side of the spectrum we have the bizarre, here represented by the last two tracks on the album. DADA DATA features a choir and church organ that sound fantastic and eventually breaks down at the end where it sounds like everyone involved had too much wine to drink. WOUNDED ORBIT starts off pleasant enough but then guitarist Anthony Biale injects some weird kind of rap aided by country music style fiddle playing which makes this eight-minute plus song a bit tiresome.

Otherwise, Hazel Lord shows a lot of promise and will reap the rewards once they find their true voice.

"Beautiful sound and elegant phrasing." --

"a CD unlike anyone else's, and one that is refreshing to listen to."

HAZEL LORD, VENUS IN THE STREET (© Eden Roc Records)
The music on this disc has a shiny-happy-people feel to it, so much so you almost expect an off-Broadway cast to jump out in costume and dance around. If that sounds too overbearing, then think of light, poppy songs with a New Age bent to them. Yes, they're squeaky clean, and I suspect the style is from the band's musical heritage. Their collective experience is diverse, and the musicianship is quite good. Petina Cole's vocals are strong; Daryl Kojak's keyboard work is solid; Anthony Biale can play guitar, and Susan Mitchell's violin work is fine. Yet there is something that nags at me, and it's probably more of a personal issue than a reflection on the band. It's just that the New Age glean gives me the creeps. In part, it might be the ultra-clean sounds and G-rated lyrics, but the songs miss that guttural punch that makes rock what it is. Perhaps if you're a born-again rock and roller (is there such a thing?), then you'll like the band. Find out for yourself at www.hazellord.com.