I'm A Happy Camper

[jeff@sqa.dsg.ti.com (jeff abbott (TB02))]

Yesterday I received my first Happy Rhodes cassette, _Rhodes Vol. 1_.
I was actually inclined to "be hard" on Happy during my first listening,
because I had heard nothing from the group but raves and I didn't
want to get my expectations too high.

Well, when I opened the envelope and saw the rather gruesome cover art
(a green-haired monster with bulging eyes and huge incisors) my
expectations dropped at once. "No wonder this isn't in stores" I thought.
"No one would really be inclined to buy this album, Happy unheard,
with this godawful cover art." (I know that Doug Burks and Charlotte
Stern have referred to Happy's cover art in their postings.) I will go
on record as saying I don't like this art, it's ugly in my opinion,
and I don't really think that it conveys the "demons" that allegedly
lurk in Happy's music. Kate's music is deep as well, but she hasn't
had to draw these Giger alien figures to make that point.

I don't mean to sound ultra-picky about the cover art, but it was
the awesome cover of _The Dreaming_ that got me into Kate's music
to begin with. What I'm saying is . . . .Happy's music is GREAT, and
I would *hate* to see someone not give it a try because the cover
was a turnoff. People sometimes do buy music from artists they're
unfamiliar with if the cover is interesting (i'm one of them) and
Happy's music is too good - even important - to be hidden behind
these unappealing covers.

Enough of that, now for the music.

I don't know Vickie (except from her postings), but I want to thank
her for bringing Happy to the group's attention. She is really an
important artist! (Happy, not Vickie :-) ).

It's obvious that Kate is a major influence on Happy, but Happy is not
a Kate clone by *any* means. She uses guitar and synthesizer as her
major instruments on _Vol 1_, and the mix is beautiful and original.
I would guess her other influences are Joni Mitchell, any number of
Celtic artists, and even new-age electronic types like Jean-Michel
Jarre. (The song "He's Alive" has a distinct electronic sound to it,
as does "Case of Glass").  And her voice is haunting and powerful.

I ended up listening to _Rhodes Vol 1_ *five* times last night. I cannot
remember replaying an album so many times the first day I had it.
I listened during dinner. I listened while cleaning the downstairs,
and when I went upstairs to clean, Happy went with me. I listened
with the news turned on but on mute. I listened this morning in
the bathroom getting ready for work, and while eating breakfast.
I'm probably going to wear the tape out in a week!

Anyone who enjoys Kate's music is probably going to enjoy Happy. Her
songs seem outwardly simple, but after repeated listenings, you can
discern that deeper interpretations are possible.
Example:

On the song "Case of Glass" (my favorite thus far), Happy sings to
a lover she wishes to keep in a case of glass, preserved forever.
At first listen (and some of the lyrics were a little difficult to
distinguish), it sounds like a woman who wishes to preserve a
beautiful and special love. The song can be interpreted this way,
but the more I listened, the woman sounded more sinister and possessive.
The image of a collector oohing over a fly trapped in amber came to
mind, as though Happy were keeping her lover trapped away from the
world, instead of preserving a romance. When Happy sings:

"If you ever wander, I pray that you will find
A love equal in power, with limits undefined. . ."

You can take as either wishing her lover happiness if he should stray,
or you can take it that he'll find someone as possessive who doesn't
observe "limits". The song can be both romantic and chilling.

All the songs on the album are good, but my favorites so far are
"Case of Glass", "I'm Not Awake, I'm Not Asleep", "Step Inside", and
a song Happy recorded in honor of those record company executives
who haven't given her a contract, "The Wretches Gone Awry" :-).

I'm definitely ordering Happy's other cassettes and the CD as soon as
I can. If you're a Kate fan and haven't tried Happy Rhodes, please do.
REALLY. She's an important talent, and considering the blather being
played on the radio today, she's also a welcome relief.

Jeff
--
Jeff Abbott	Texas Instruments, Inc. 512-250-4323
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