Gina Lenee
Revealed
Revealed is pianist Gina Leneé's second album produced by Grammy-winner Will Ackerman and
co-produced, engineered, and mastered by Tom Eaton. All but one track was
composed by the artist (the exception being her cover of the famous romantic
ballad "On the Wings of Love'). As would be expected of an Imaginary Road
Studio effort, many of the IR's usual suspects are present in varying roles:
Charlie Bisharat (violin), Premik Russell Tubbs (soprano sax and EWI), Jeff
Haynes (percussion), Eugene Friesen (cello) Jeff Oster (flugelhorn) as well as
Ackerman (acoustic guitar) and Eaton (electric bass). As she showed on Red Diamonds, Leneé displays a deft touch and superb
control of nuance and tone, and never allowing her playing to exhibit
meaningless artifice or unnecessary pyrotechnics. The guest artists are used sparingly,
but as one would expect, their talents contribute to the overall aesthetic of
the album whenever they do appear on a song.
Whereas Red Diamonds
focused on melodies glowing with soft shadings of romance, Revealed's sound tends to evoke a more pensive, somber mood on most
tracks, making the album more reflective and even, perhaps, meditative. Leneé's playing style is not truly minimalist,
but tends to be more sparse than some of her contemporaries. And boy, does she
make every note count. The prevailing mood of introspection is immediately
discerned on the opening "Undeniable" on which Leneé is joined by Oster who colors the
tune with a soft glow of jazz/blues. "Finding Me Again" continues the
reflective aspect of the first song, albeit with a slightly warmer melodic
approach. Leneé's playing on this
song flows nicely, as if a river wending its way through the countryside under
a twilight's amber-shaded sky.
Before delving
into a few more of the songs, it's important to quote some of the artist's
liner notes, which go a long way to explain the overall tone and mood of Revealed. "Revealed is a musical
dedication to empower YOU, the listener, in the darkest moments when pain,
rejection, self-doubt and isolation weakens your spirit and leaves you the most
vulnerable." You can understand, now, why the main thrust of the album is
a musical portrait of self-exploration and a balancing act of somber melancholy
as well as a show of subtle strength. "I Want to Get Closer" exemplifies
this duality as the song traverses the opening somberness with a palpable climb
to subtle drama, characterized by not just Leneé's piano but Tubbs' softly soaring sax playing. On "Over,"
Bisharat's violin embellishes the piano melody with just the right amount of
tenderness without injecting any sense of the maudlin or faux sentimentality. "Run Away With Me" is a
lighter, cheerier tune, with a slightly sped-up tempo (in comparison to most of
the songs on the album). Oster's horn work adds just the right amount of
something extra, an element of romance to fuse with Leneé's piano lead.
Throughout the
entirety of Revealed, what stands out
to me is the depth of feeling and sincerity of emotion that Leneé brings to the fore. This is the work of
a mature artist, someone who is quite comfortable in opening her soul to the
listener, pouring out her memories as notes on the keyboard. As the winter
approaches (for us in the northern climes, at least), here is an album that
almost begs to be listened to as the days grow shorter, the nights grow colder,
and the outside world slowly goes to sleep. So, set a fire in the hearth, pour
yourself a glass of wine, dim the lights, and indulge in the richness that is Revealed.
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