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Louise Goffin is a breath of fresh air in the stale, status quo world of pop music. Like her mother before her, Goffin has made a unique record with staying power. Carole King's "Tapestry" album has been one of my favorites since its release. Over thirty years later, I still listen to it over and over again. And now, Louise Goffin's "Sometimes a Circle" has earned the rank of favorite as well. I must admit that I "discovered" Goffin because of a Gap commercial she did with her mother. She sang her lines and I thought, what an incredible voice. "Sometimes a Circle" proves that not only does Goffin have an incredible voice, but she's a great stylist and writer as well. Stand out songs for me: "Instant Photo," "Sleep With Me Instead," and "What a Waste of a Perfectly Good Hotel Room." But all the songs on this disc are solid, enjoyable, and loaded with interesting views of life. And while her talent shows she's her mother's daughter, she possesses her own style. She may have inherited the talent, but she's made it her own. This CD should not be missed!
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There are a number of ghosts swirling around Louise Goffin's first release in almost fourteen years.....those of her parentage, the ones of her own nymphet-imaged past (real or imagined) and those of her contemporaries, many of whom have seen their careers go on to bigger and better things. These artists, amoung them Aimee Mann, Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, Sarah MacLachlan, Alanis Morissette and, especially (in my opinion, on this disc), Rickie Lee Jones, are constantly peeking around corners throughout SOMETIMES A CIRCLE, yet Goffin never gets lost in the mix. Showing a maturity as a vocalist and songwriter that is light years ahead of anything else she has ever done, Goffin makes it very clear that this CD is her's and her's alone.
Gone is the sassy teen pop of 1979's KID BLUE and 1981's LOUISE GOFFIN, as well as the glossy production sheen of 1988's THIS IS THE PLACE. Instead, we have a rawer, more stripped-down sound. Opening with the beat-and-sequenced-heavy title track, Goffin makes it apparent right from the start that words are VERY important to her now ("There's a lot going on/But it all adds up to nothing/Sometimes a circle feels like a direction"). Up next is the swaying Bob Marley-meets-Robert Johnson flavored "Instant Photo." All scratchy and twangy, you can just picture this one being finger-picked on a porch down south. "I Can't Remember Why", a song of regret and disbelief over past actions, features some of the CD's most charming and heartfelt lyrics ("I saw you in the supermarket/Looking like a work of art/When everyone had told me you were dead/Radiating happiness while I spilled chocolate on my dress/Then I turned a brighter shade of red"), and leaves you wondering.....is it about a former lover? Maybe a family member? Whatever the case may be, the song is lovely, with a stunning keyboard riff. "Sleep With Me Instead" is also charming, with it's wide-eyed innocence, windwoods and "Why not me?!?" yearning. We've all been there before.....human safety nets for those jerks and bimbos who don't realize that WE'RE THE RIGHT ONE FOR THEM!!! Goffin gives word and form to that glorious pain of coming back time and time again, just being there no matter what the hurt. The hypnotic "What If I Were Talking To Me" is captivating in it's early minimalism....all single note piano, throbbing bass and persuasive percussion, topped with a floating, airy vocal....before it takes a left turn into sonic quirkiness. "Only Water" is probably the one track on SOMETIMES A CIRCLE that could have easily fit on a past Goffin release, whatwith it's shuffling beat and soaring chorus, while "Saved By The Bell" is haunting, yet at the same time brutally open and honest ("It's a good thing/You caught me at a bad time"). One of the CD's strongest cuts, "Just Bone And Breath" has a heavy Elvis Costello vibe going on, both musically (notice how the verses melt into the chorus!) and lyrically ("I want to shake your shadow/I want to tell it to quit/But when the devils start talking/You know there's no forgetting it"). This track is the best example of how Goffin's two creative sides (singer and songwriter) have come together to form a new, and vastly improved/matured, whole. "Clicking To The Next Slide" has a fascinating voyueristic quality to it.....the music is secondary to the lyrics, and rather than being sung to it's almost as if we're in Goffin's head, listening to her (slightly crazed) thoughts. "Light In Your Eyes" is a gorgeous love song, tender and warm, with a unique Burt Bacharach-backing-Aimee Mann feel to it. Another high point is the sexy, groovin' "What A Waste Of A Perfectly Good Hotel Room", with it's New Orleans-flavored horns and attitude (I can see this song being conceived during Mardi Gras!) and heart on her sleeve lyrics ("I want to sleep with the phone in bed/And hang on every word that's said/But there's a thousand miles of dial tone inbetween"). The disc closes with the hushed, intense "Quiet Anesthesia" (who would have ever thought someone could work dipping cookies into milk into a song like this?!?). So......do I have any gripes about the CD? One or two......I wish the lyrics had been enclosed. You know there's some real poetry here, but at times Goffin's vocals are so hushed and introspective that you just can't make them out. I also wish there was a rocker along the lines of "Jimmy And The Tough Kids" off of KID BLUE, or a soaring vocal powerhouse similar to THIS IS THE PLACE's "Deep Kiss." But all this is stuff we can look forward to on the next CD. Let's just hope that, after such an amazingly strong return, we don't have to wait another fourteen years for that disc to materialize!
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Long awaited new release from Goffin doesn't dissapoint. As was the case with her excellent "6-star" Warner Brothers release a few years back "THIS IS THE PLACE", (where is this on cd??? warner brothers???) the songwriting here is very good with a different insight - she writes like she is talking to a friend about what happened to her. Standout track for me was "Light In Your Eyes". Good to hear she still has what it takes to make me think.
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When I first heard "Sometimes A Circle" on the radio, I had to call in to find out who did this song. Bought the CD today... after 3 full listens, the whole record is stunning. Ms. Goffin is a brilliant (and gorgeous) singer and songwriter. I can't think of any current artist that writes this smart and makes it so addictively listenable. Damn.. THIS IS GOOD.
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When I first heard "Sometimes A Circle" on the radio, I had to call in to find out who did this song. Bought the CD today... after 3 full listens, the whole record is stunning. Ms. Goffin is a brilliant (and gorgeous) singer and songwriter. I can't think of any current artist that writes this smart and makes it so addictively listenable. Damn.. THIS IS GOOD.
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