CD REVIEW

I did not even know we had received this CD, but was pleasantly surprised to find it in the bottomless pit of CD’S, which seems to breed when I am not looking. I have seen the name around, Carolyn Wallace and Idle Chaos, so I was eager to unwrap it and give it a listen. My initial thought was, nice tone to her voice, is there anything else? And, well, yes there is. For one thing, the sound of the CD as a whole is clean, and nothing less than you would expect from Dan Workman at Sugarhill. Also, the players who have joined Carolyn on this endeavor are all well seasoned and solid. She has gathered some nice talent around her. The songs themselves didn’t instantly reach out and grab me, but as I continued listening, I could hear so many different influences in Carolyn’s writing and delivery that I couldn’t help but get more into it. Track number four, “Serenity,” has some very nice melodies and phrasing. Track five, “Soul,” contains the title line to the CD, can we be More than Friends, and presents a good hook with Carolyn’s sweet, soulful vocals at the vortex. My favorite track is number eight, “Silver Queen,” with its bluesy feel and some fantastic sax throughout. Carolyn’s acoustic guitar on “Unfinished” is totally tasty. She has a Carly Simon vocal feel on this one; actually, I hear that influence throughout, but particularly on this one. The lyrics for “Unfinished” are sad but spiritual, and are very effective. The last track, “The Road,” also seemingly spiritually evoked, is a strong tune with beautiful lyrics, a cool groove, and Carolyn’s pleasantly soulful vocal tone shines on this one. Carolyn plays regularly around town, so if you like laid back, easy on the ear, heart and soul-filled music, go check her out. Be sure to pick up a copy of More than Friends while your at it. It’s a great one to put on while you’re kicking back in a hot bath with bubbles and wine... One of my favorite pastimes. Thanks for making it even more relaxing Carolyn!