Life and Art - Tracy Spring

I wouldn't presume to review Tracy Spring's life and art (at last count she's still in the middle of both), but her new CD "Life and Art" is done, and it exhibits nearly everything I love about the Northwest music scene. Tracy's songs are thoughtful and accessible at the same time, and cover a wide range of basic human experience. The settings they are given here by Tracy and her producer Linda Waterfall are sublimely *musical*, done with intelligence that doesn't point to itself, but breathes life into every cut. Tracy is a natural born singer whose alto voice is a wonderful folk and pop instrument, and always under exquisite control. She's surrounded on this disc by a virtual Who's Who of Northwest musicians, including Ms. Waterfall, Orville Johnson, honorary Northwesterner Nina Gerber, Cary Black, Kim Scanlon, John Miller, Janet Peterson, and The Righteous Mothers. If you could afford this much talent at this level in Nashville or L.A., you probably wouldn't be allowed t! o exhibit this much fun at the same time--this CD isn't the product of an industry, but of a loving and supportive community of musicians. There is a generosity of spirit that shines through this disc, and not only in the fact that in 13 well crafted songs you get 51 minutes and 31 seconds of great-souled music. As any kind of CD I call that a bargain; as a debut, independently produced CD it's really remarkable. Cassette tapes won't be ready until September, but meanwhile the disc is available from AziZ Productions, P.O. Box 2221, Yakima, WA 98907, @$15 + $1.50 p&h.

Disclaimer--I've played music for fun, and discussed life and art, with Tracy and a lot of the musicians on this CD, but I haven't received a penny from any of them--don't expect to, either.