| Music | Bio | Calendar | News | Press | Photos | Radio | Links | Guestbook | Contact |
Press
Rikks Revues review of "Out of Time" The duo of Michele Rubin and Rick Gedney may have only been playing together in and around New York since 1999. That may be true but you would never suspect that after listening to Open Book's new release Out Of Time. The true compatibility between the two is astonishing, you would think the two had been playing together for years simply by the flow and the complimenting harmonizing. This is more of a folk CD, but Open Book do slide very easily through classification barriers making there own combination of folk, Americana, and some jazzy overtones to fill in the gaps. Out of Time shows that you can make wonderful music no matter what your roots, since Michele and Rick started individually at open mike nights. Guitar virtuoso Billy Masters produced the album for Open Book, and it has a slick polish that transcends the (sometimes referred to as a stigma) of independent recordings. This is a pleasant journey, you can actually feel yourself getting lost in the music that has the ability to make you feel a part of the music rather than a simple bystander. Sharing the role of lead vocalist, both Michele and Rick have the capability, but the magic of the harmonies is when the CD really shines. Michele has a voice that is gentle and pure, it is a soothing approach, Rick is no slouch either as he can remind you at times of a mix James Taylor or Jackson Browne. Before I got the CD in the post, I went to the Open Book Website and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. After listening to the CD I got the entire picture. There is a theme to the music here and if you want the full effect you really have to listen to the album from start to finish. Open Book's Michele Rubin shows the best vocal ability on "Let It Rain" which is a truly haunting and mesmerizing track, one of the best songs on the disc. Rick Gedney takes over the reigns on a few tracks, but none better than "Minstrel". I recommend this CD, a good clean sound that comes from the soul and hits you in the heart. 4.5 Stars out of 6
Across the Pond CD Review by Paul Castle
Dear Michele and Rick - Thanks so much for sending me your album. I
received it just after Christmas and for some reason have ended up
listening at decidedly stange times of the day over the holidays (this
morning at 6am - as the sun came up over the rooftops here in London).
Every track has something that moves me, but if I 'had' to choose one for
my desert island it would probably be 'Say a Prayer' - but could just as
easily be 'Downstream' (I hear shades of Sandy Denny) or Indiana (makes me
want to go there) etc, etc....great production too - he deserves a Masters
Degree!)
Really hope these little song pearls get found and brought to the surface
for all to hear. I've added details to the January '03 edition of my Across the Pond Music Net
Station [you will have to register first if you've never been to
MP3.com before] and now I'm hoping you'll put some of these up on MP3.com
so that I can stream them on future playlists.
Can't wait to hear what you're working on next.
Excerpt from
Performing on the midway requires a certain kind of approach. Like street
singing or singing at rallies, playing on the Midway of a folk festival is
totally social and interactive - you can't sing the kinds of quiet,
introspective songs that have become the hallmark of folksingers in a
thousand listening rooms and concert halls around the country. Here in
the open air with people milling around and most of the audience standing,
ready to depart at the slightest whim, you have to engage the audience at
the level of the will, not just the heart or intellect.
There are a number of ways to do this, but all of them consist of grabbing
the audience and not letting go. Ordinary beauty, for instance, doesn't
work. I saw several acts along the row, mostly duos, who made pretty
music with their harmonies and guitar picking, but made no impression.
Trying too hard, accosting the audience, works little better, at least
once the initial assault has worn off, as I have learned from experience.
One group that managed to avoid both extremes was NY-based Open Book.
Michele Rubin and Rick Gedney played a 15 minute set in front of the
Acoustic Live! booth in the middle of the afternoon. As usual, every
time I turned around there was someone else to say hi to, but their song
"Downstream" caught my ear and held it: "we're so much like the water in
so many ways / and we move like the river to the sea." You don't hear
such careful attention to the sounds of words very often in folk music,
and they were fine musicians to boot.
|
As a duo they have been playing together for four years after
meeting at an open mic in the City and since that time they have
played in support for (amongst others) Buddy and Julie Miller, Lucy
Kaplansky and Ian Matthews to name artists familiar to readers this
side of the pond. Whilst both had been regular faces on the acoustic
scene in New York for some time, their paths came together when Rubin
asked Gedney to provide Mandolin backing for one of her gigs and a
partnership was formed, over time. With Gedney developing his
songwriting skills the duo balance and build on each others musical
and writing skills, with both playing a part in writing and composing
their own material.
have of their craft comes through. The songs themselves are
deceptively simple whilst at the same revealing hidden depths, all of
which are self penned (the one exception being "Minstrel" written by
associate Kris Barthelmess).
