The Bells of Saint Rose
Vicki Chew
VC Productions

Some may remember Vicki Chew from the Under The Tree duo that she had with her then-husband Bill Lestock around ten years ago. Now flying solo, Chew has her 11 cut debut out and it is a mixture of the familiar with a couple surprises thrown in. Backed by the jazz flavorings of the Jackie Warren Trio, most of the tracks veer in that direction with "Don't Tempt Me" as a quick example, thanks to Bob Fraser's guitar mixing it up with Peter Dominguez' bass work, and the title cut where Jackie Warren's piano counterpoints John Klayman's flute. Reed Simon's violin gives "You'll Remember Me" a plaintive feel, while "The Look In Your Eyes" may be the most commercial track here, thanks to the boost from Klayman's work on soprano sax.

Although "Beneath The Texas Sun" is subtle, "Wax Paper Leaves" is less so in the country direction, thanks again to Simon's violin and "Going Home" is hanging out at the same playground Tish Hinojosa uses on the Tex-Mex southern border. Because of the musical company she keeps, I'm sure Vickie Chew is going to get a lot of comparison to Joni Mitchell and, on occasion, Shawn Colvin. That's not a bad thing as The Bells Of Saint Rose show enough of Chew's own style to make that statement an honor instead of an anchor.

Word on her web page says Chew was a recent New Folk Finalist at the famous Kerrville Folk Festival down near San Antonio, Texas. What's known for sure is she has a standing monthly gig at the Barking Spider at Case Western Reserve Univeristy on the last Thursday of every month. Based on The Bells Of Saint Rose, trust me, she'll have many more gigs coming up in the near future.

Vicki Chew performs at the Barking Spider Thursday, March 22 at 10PM. For more information on Chew and her upcoming gigs, visit http://www.vickichewmusic.com. Check out the Barking Spider online at http://www.barkingspidertavern.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Peanuts hostofthenorthcoastATyahoo.com

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