Times Argus CD Review
posted: 4/18/2008

Rebecca Padula proves a rich alto Powerhouse
By Art Edelstein Arts Correspondent

Vermont has several legendary voices. Among the men, Jon Gailmor from Elmore comes to mind. Among the women we have Patti Casey of East Montpelier and Tammie Fletcher from Eden. We can now add Rebecca Padula of Hinesburg to that list.
Padula, a name I was not previously familiar with, has produced her third album. Her band consists of electric/double bassist Mitch Barron and drummer "Shrimp." Padula performs on acoustic guitar throughout. Together, this trio, along with a few guest musicians, has produced a very fine recording.
Padula's voice, a rich alto powerhouse, is the focal point here while she also has solid credentials as a songwriter. She also sings several songs penned by her Vermont contemporaries.
Padula's voice is good enough that she could, and perhaps should, explore other styles beyond those in the folksinger-songwriter category. I envisage her with a full-tilt boogie rock band or on stage in a musical. There is a lot of projection in this woman's vocal cords and a real sense of understanding the power in her singing. Padula might, but never does overstretch, or otherwise unleash vocal gymnastics that aren't necessary. She's got enough control to realize that her delivery, as is, needs little else to get the song across with panache. I also like her diction, as her words are crystal-clear.
On the opening "Match," with Paul Asbel's guitar wizardry leading the charge, Padula delivers a hefty measure of upbeat. Padula has chosen to sing other writers' work and on track three, Carol Abair's "Whistle Me Dixie" has her in soft and sensitive mode. Abair is fine songwriter and her song "My Only Son" won best song of the year for 2007 in our annual Tammie Awards. I also like the Abair-penned folk song on track eight "When I Leave Winooski."
Track four finds Padula interpreting Susannah Blachly's "After Rain." Blachly is a fine and prolific writer from Calais whose own recordings have drawn considerable attention on these pages. "After Rain" is a song with a Latin flavor. Here Padula gives a jazzier interpretation to the material, letting Vermont's mandolin genius Jamie Masefield take the instrumental lead.
Padula also pays homage to the late Rachel Bissex by performing her song, "Never Go Back." Here we get a blues/jazz treatment with Gregory Douglass on back up vocals.
There are several styles presented on this CD. Padula's own "What's Going On?" a bluesy questioning of world issues pertaining to Darfur, Iraq and Bosnia, finds Montpelier's Dave Keller on electric guitar and Phil Abair on organ. They add just enough kick to propel the song through a shopping list of world misery.
Padula's other songs are strong too. For example, "The Neighbors" discusses abuse; "Less" is about the loss of the family farm; "We Are Free" is a peace anthem; while "At Bedtime" is a sweet acoustic number penned for a child.
There's a lot of lyrical ground covered on this album. Throughout Barron and Shrimp know when to hold back on the quiet tunes and when to let go on the faster-paced numbers.
If there are any problems with this CD they are in the direction Padula wants to travel as an artist. It is obvious that she knows lots of excellent musicians and songwriters and has included them in this project. The result is a recording that is a bit hard to classify. I suspect her sensibilities run toward pure folk and all she really needs is her voice and acoustic guitar to get the message across. By choosing to have a back-up band and guest musicians Padula has expanded that original direction and it gets a bit scattered in this presentation.
That said, if you want to hear another of the fine voices in Vermont music then "Fire & Water" by Rebecca Padula and Band should be on your shopping list.
You can hear this trio live next on Saturday May 24 at the Skinny Pancake at 60 Lake St. in Burlington at 9 p.m.

You can also find this review at the Times Argus online here .