Patty Reese, Songwriter-Musician

Here And Now (Independent)

Let me begin this by saying it is difficult for this reviewer to be unbiased about this artist. Ms. Patty Reese has spent years of hard work getting to this point. Like Emerson wrote to Whitman, paraphrased: I greet her at the beginning of a great career. And I add: how long some beginnings last. Here and Now, indeed. On rare and fortunate occasions, I have been there and then. This work runs the gamut of love from the first lap, to the middle laps, to the unfinished, broken laps, to the hoped-for, but rarely-found final lap.

The first song, “Make Way for Love” jumps out of the speakers, as if Bruce had met Melissa head on and thrown Ronnie (Zebron)’s unmatched lead guitar and mandolin into the mix. It is also our introduction to the multi-layered, multi-tracked blend of Ms. R’s vocal persona, her spin on the George O’Hara Smith Singers (the late George Harrison’s chorus of himself on All Things Must Pass). The high energy continues into the next cut, “She’s So Happy (just to have a boy like you),” not to mention “a fuzzy low-necked sweater.” And I imagine hearing Paul McCartney add, “Get back home, Loretta.” “If I Were You” again invokes Springsteen with its delicate tone and building yrics, more remarkable guitar work again by Mr. Z and hesitant-for-effect snare raps by John Tracey, whose rarely-equalled percussion drove most of the tracks. This song is what Southside Johnny might sound like—if he was Southside Jane. “To the Top” follows, wherein “Fire”-style vocals meets a “Come Together” rhythm section in the melody, with good guitar work by Bobby Hird, if maybe an excess of whammy bar. Her funkiest footstomper and a better-be-heeded warning to some man, or men, “Bought a Shotgun,” features the talented assistance of her duo and band partner, Jimmy DeSanto on both guitars and drums.

A sweet song of resilience and moving past, “Fly Just the Same,” is next. The singer finds solace in the song. Or properly, her heart rises from the ashes in her song written on the ashes. “And though my heart’s heavy/Think I’ll fly just the same.” The song begins with a Simon and Garfunkel or Neil Young late-’60s style acoustic guitar turn (all of the fine acoustic work on the CD is) by Ms. R., finely measured and played, with just the perfect touch. Sonny Petrosky’s bass here, there, everywhere, is unmatched (I can recall seeing him play with her a few times in venues large and small several years ago. His featured intro and turn on the Temptations “I Wish It Would Rain” is one of my all time favorite bass solos. But then I digress…). About her vocal dynamics here—the soft phrases are superb. Some of the line endings though, seem just a decibel too loud or too close to the microphone. I also wish she’d somewhat softened and smoothed the final “same.” Not completely, though. Some of the rawness is necessary to convey and contrast the pain with the release. Maybe we’re just at odds over the degree of the effect she sought. In any event, this song might have marked the ending of a better than good mini-CD. But listen up, dear friends, much more to come… “Never Again” logically follows, as though it opens the second side of an album. For it is a rocking refusal to submit to another’s selfishness. Fitting that the up-tempo look back follows the previous down-tempo look forward. The next number, “Henry” is a transitional tune to get us on the “Train.” “Train” is a country-tonkin’ treasure, with a retro feel that begs for airplay on WMZQ. Imagine that the late Waylon’s “Lonesome, On’ry and Mean,” had boarded Elvis’ “Mystery Train,” with Scotty Moore’s guitar-role played here by Dave Chappell. His incidental guitar runs and accents are exemplary, as is the entire song. Hard country rarely sounds this good. “Take You With Me” is a reggae-romp, with only one minor weakness—drums compressed too much for my taste. Still, this could be the regional, if not the national, summer song of 2004. It should be playing in Ocean City, Rehoboth, Venice Beach, Key West, and Provincetown. “Stuck On The Outside” gives me chills from the outset. It is as if she were a female Dylan, and the setting is unrefined Blonde on Blonde-period from Glen Workman’s (CTS and CZEH) keyboards, with Mr. DeSanto’s best and crying guitar lines. Ms. R’s summation of the finale with her vocal and acoustic notes is, quite simply, timeless. Captured timelessly, as well, is the vast majority of this album, with exemplary ensemble work by the entire production and mastering team, including Ms. R, some of the guest artists, Marco Delmar, and Bill Wolf. Those previous three consecutive songs make the strongest grouping of local or regional tunes I’ve ever heard, demonstrating the purity and variety of Ms. R’s many gifts. Alone, they would make a CD worthwhile to own. They kick the already-high energy into the stratosphere. Coupled with so many other notable songs, they fly just the same. They make this a moveable feast. The uniqueness and flexibility of her voice, combined with the maturity, polish, and professionalism of her song-writing, alone and in collaboration with John Tracey and others (note: please include printed lyrics next time), stirred in the cauldron of personal and performance experience, make her a triple-threat—une chanteuse extraordinaire. One special talent on the verge of a breakthrough.

CTS’s John Palumbo wrote (for her, I heard or read somewhere, maybe as a favor to her being one of their irregular choir) and played on “Miss America,” his assault on male fickleness and tribute to female self-sufficiency. “Blow Wind Blow” is a cleansing plea to nature for, once again, release, and a rockabilly revel that ends the set, leading us to the next step on her journey. She is more than ready to break out. “So up again I go/From the ashes below…” Her special fire burns bright in the eyes and crackles in the ears like finely-aged wood. As an artist, she is just hitting the peak of her power. Here and Now is the place and the time, a singular variety of moods, arrangements, mixes, and productions, as self-actualized and multifaceted as its mistress. And what is actual is actual only for one time/And only for one place/I rejoice that things are as they are…

-Jim Nash