An Invitation

and what is wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. So, here is what you get:-melodies that fall several quavers and quirks short of chance. I don't mean to suggest any similarity to the dizzying interval exchanges of John Cage, but often, these melodies seem to go some place other that what you might anticipate. Musicians--think of the circle of fifths in the hands of a mischievous demon who loves melody, but can't tolerate the quotidian world of expectations.-harmonies that are rich in early 20th century influences like rag and stride--think of the tri-tones you might expect from Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton rendered through the sweep of orchestration that leads as often as it follows. Van Dyke Parks likes the same "Americana" movement of harmony employed by Randy Newman in much of his film music. However, Parks arrangements and orchestrations whip around like the American flag on a windy July 4th--threatening, on occasion, to shut down the picnic, or a roller-coaster that dips and rolls often enough to delight any kid. These harmonies are like agitating train cars locked to a locomotive on serious speed. Frankly--I love the feeling that the train could leap the tracks at any moment--though I can imagine that others might experience this as vertigo.-lyrics that are more head than heart--and wonderfully so. These lyrics are not especially interested in rhyme, but don't ignore the aural need for a satisfying couplet. More often than not, the lyrics are simple and expressive of desire--but not always of the romantic kind. Here and there, you will come across an elusive and mystifying idea--and it is difficult to know if the lyric has run into a corner and cannot negotiate its way out, or ifthat corner actually is the way out (if you find this implausible, then you have just gotten a sense of George lyrics)I am a sucker for Van Dyke Parks and consider "Orange Crate Art" a landmark cd, worthy of wide praise and affectionate allegiance (much like the Beatles Sergeant Pepper album). Aside from his palette of compositional colors, Parks is a first-rate arranger and orchestrator, but--he likes to bring the orchestra up close--sometimes, to the point of overwhelming the arc of melody. He doesn't do that in "Orange Crate Art" because that arc is always controlled by Brian Wilson's rich and dominant harmonies. However, Inara George, when confronted with this Parks tendency, can be reduced, just occasionally, to a footnote.Don't allow this cd's near-aleatory presentation of melody and Godzilla-like proportion of orchestration to isolate you from the satisfactions of the George/Parks collaboration. They have fashioned an original contribution to American pop--dig into it, and you will find a pleasure chest full of riches.

Daughter of Little Feat's Lowell George, Inara has established herself as a quietly cool pop vocalist on her solo projects (e.g., All Rise ) and as one half of The Bird and the Bee. An Invitation is clearly a stretch for her. George relies solely on strings to bring the songs across. Parks' busy chamber orchestrations dance and flitter around George's uncharacteristically meandering material, giving the vocals a careless, improvised quality. Listening to this is like trying to traverse a stream by crossing its slippery rocks (George's vocals) while being entranced by the natural beauty of the surrounding woods (Parks' string arrangements). You're gonna fall down. You're gonna get wet. And you're not gonna remember a thing. **1/2

I love Inara George and own all her CDs including her solo work, Merrick, and Bird and the Bee. Unfortunately I did not like her collaboration with Van Dyke Parks on An Invitation. The orchestra music drowns out her voice and is a constant distraction making hard to detect the melody of the song. I have played it several times but find it a noticeable dissappointment compared to how much I have enjoyed all her other music.

Infectious tunes and outrageously surprising arrangements. Both my 13-year-old daughter and I (43-year-old mother) love this CD.

I'm trying to find something positive to say about this album. Inara George's voice is clear and beautiful. I believe she wrote the lyrics, which are also quite good (if sometimes oblique), and some of the melodies are uncommon and intriguing.That said, the main accompaniment is Van Dyke Parks and his string arrangements. I wont argue with anyone who likes them, but I have to be blunt about my own reaction: the orchestral parts are busy, harmonically dense, the rhythms lope, flit, and lurch uncomfortably without a steady beat, and they basically just dance all over the place, with unrelenting hyperactivity. Not only are the arrangements hyperactive, they seem dynamically constricted. There is a want of pianissimo and fortissimo. Furries of notes and chord changes cannot substitute for dynamic contrasts between loud and soft to add life and drama to the music. I guess this is a factor that doesn't concern Van Dyke Parks.This album contains a number of good songs (Duet), even beautiful songs (Rough Design), struggling to get out from under the weight of the arrangements.For me, listening is a fatiguing experience. I loved Inara George's other solo CD, All Rise, and her work with The Bird And The Bee. This is something in another vein altogether. While I do not begrudge the artist an opportunity to stretch and try something new, I can't bring myself to pay for that experimentation when it simply has no appeal for me. So, I'm not buying this, and I would strongly urge people to listen to cuts or sound samples before purchasing, to make sure you really want to pay for 40 minutes of this stuff. If you like it, for whatever reason, great. For me it was something I could endure, with only a few points of enjoyment.

I have to admit that I came into this album with high expectations. The idea of the great Van Dyke Parks with a female songwriter/vocalist immediately reminded me of Joanna Newsom's incredible Ys. In some ways this albums is a sort of Ys II, but it falls short in other respects.These songs that the catchy melodies, emotional swells and long narrative arcs that make Ys so engaging.Instead, this collection just seems "pretty" - lacking the substance of Newsom's epics.Overall, it just doesn't have the energy or vision that I was hoping for.

Having enjoyed Inara's All Rise previously, I've been eagerly awaiting her collaboration with the godfather of baroque pop, Van Dyke Parks.Does it disappoint? Initially yes. The songs are hard to distinguish, being cossetted in an over-attentive and lush orchestral backing.... but that was the first few listens. Gradually the orchestral blur becomes more focused, and the songs more individual, the musical flourishes more distinct. Inara's voice is one of my current favourites, beautifully soft and full, with a delectible west-coast accent.Recommended for fans of Burt Bacharach, Joanna Newsom (if you enjoyed VDP's orchestrations on Ys), and absolutely essential if you've already a fan of Clare and the Reasons' wonderful orchestral pop.

good

I think Inara George is one of this generation's great vocalists and love her work with The Bird and The Bee. Van Dyke Parks' great work on the Beach Boys' Smile album cannot be under rated; he is a true American original in a class with Stephen Foster and Mitchell Parish. Put these two unique talents together and you might expect a modern classic. Unfortunately, that is , in my humble opinion, not the case. The songs are relentlessly dull. The arrangements sound so similar that it begins to feel like one long song. The string quartet sound is passable for one or two tracks but grates on your senses as the album progresses. The project sounds like it was recorded in one long session and then hurriedly mixed the same day. Maybe they ran out of money. Maybe they ran out of ideas. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that I only paid $1.96. Get out your cd's of "Song Cycle" (Parks) and "Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future" (Bird and the Bee) instead and enjoy these artists creating interesting and dynamic music.

今日から弥生、早くも3月。この間、新年を迎えたばかりのように思うのに。急に世間も春めいてきた。梅も花開きふきのとうやﾁｭｰﾘｯﾌﾟの芽も伸びてきた。このひと、ﾛｰｳｪﾙｼﾞｮｰｼﾞの娘さんだとか。ｳﾞｧﾝﾀﾞｲｸﾊﾟｰｸｽにすれば今は亡き旧友の娘さんということか。それで(かどうかは知らないが)実現した本作のｺﾗﾎﾞﾚｰｼｮﾝは流麗で凝ったｱﾚﾝｼﾞに包まれながら、穏やかな風の如く響いて春の女神のﾊﾐﾝｸﾞのよう。天気の良い日曜日の昼下がりにゆったりとした気分に浸れる作品。きっとCFのBGMなんかに使われたらﾌﾞﾚｲｸするんだろうに。