Drive

Drive Artist: Chris Webster
Label: Compass Records
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 766397426426
EAN: 0766397426426
ASIN: B00000I06E


Release Date: 1999-02-16

Drive


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

  1. Circles In The Wind
  2. Tumble Into Love
  3. Ball And Chain
  4. Candybars And Freedom
  5. I'm Driving
  6. Shake On It
  7. Turning Of The Wheel
  8. Real Emotional Girl
  9. No More Excuses
  10. Run Away To The Circus
  11. If I Could Have You
  12. Angel Choir

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  1. Something in the Water
  2. A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
  3. Not Too Late

Amazon.com

After four eclectic albums behind the wheel of Mumbo Gumbo, Chris Webster emerges with her first solo spin. Although it's got plenty of horses under the hood--a couple of well-chosen covers (Van Morrison, Randy Newman) to bolster a solid batch of Webster originals and the able assistance of decorated veterans like the Memphis Horns and Nashville steel guru Al Perkins--<I>Drive</I> doesn't quite reach its destination. Webster's voice, though robust, lacks sass. And even the all-star sidemen have trouble breaking through the production's high gloss. That said, <I>Drive</I> manages a pleasant approximation of k. d. lang's genre-hopping country-pop. Like lang, Webster dips her fingers into soul and R&B, adding a dash of Cajun spice with the swampy accordion on "Circles in the Wind." Here's hoping that next time out, Webster won't be so hesitant to roll down the windows and put her foot to the floor. <I>--Anders Smith-Lindall</I>

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Hidden gem .......2006-09-03

I happened upon this wonderful CD by searching around for similar artists and was directed here .

I kept listening to snippets of the songs and ws immediately attracted to the unique and powerful , yet soulfully pure , voice of Chris Webster . I was hooked and knew I had to buy this Cd .

This is a very eclectic Cd - with songs that are alternative country( Circles in the Wind), blues ( Shake on it ) folk ( Candybars and Freedom) and even a gospel-style song (Angel Choir ) which is hauntingly beautiful .

The singer sounds a lot like Bonnie Raitt, Michelle Wright and ,at times, Karen Carpenter - each song is sung with raw emotion, intensity and pathos .

Her rendition of Real Emotional Girl is sparse , with just a piano for accompaniment and the arrangement works - it surpasses the renditon of the original artist.

I really enjoy just about every track on this Cd , which is a rarity . I have to give it five stars because it is virtually flawless .

5 out of 5 stars Amazing talent.......2006-04-10

I've been listening to Chris Webster for nearly 20 years. Seems impossible that it could be that long. I first absorbed the power of Chris' performance at a small venue in Nevada City, CA and I've carried her songs in my mind ever since. With rich and powerful vocals, Chris mixes blues, country and rock in a way that leaves you wanting more. I prefer her solo efforts where she can reach deep and stir your soul. Her first effort in "Drive", and again in her "Now Playing" CD's she proves she can hold her own with the likes of of Cheryl Crow and Nora Jones.

4 out of 5 stars Rocks & Cries With Emotional Wallop.......2002-11-24

Chris Webster's "Drive" CD has energy & originality. The opener, "Circles In the Wind," is a strong song that makes me reach for the repeat button. "Tumble In Love" flat out rocks. Chris does Van Morrison's "Ball & Chain" with a bluesy midtempo feel & nails it. (One professional reviewer said that she kicks Van's butt.) "Candybars & Freedom" seems like an odd combination of images; it's a slow emotional tearjerk song about breaking out of a relationship, "You're feeling like more of a woman & less of a fool." "I'm Driving," with Matt Rolling's piano & the Memphis Horns, sounds like a New Orleans dixieland blues. My favorite track is the funky "Shake On It," "If love is a bargain will I still be needing a guarantee that you'll be true." Jennifer Berezan's "Turning of the Wheel" has more car images on this slow pretty melody. Randy Newman's "Real Emotional Girl" is just Chris with Matt Rollings' piano which is a pretty torch track. "No More Excuses" comes across a bit faceless for me, generic song, the only low point. With no percussion on "Run Away to the Circus," Dave Pomeroy's fretless bass becomes the timekeeper on this sad wistful track. "If I Could Have You" has great thundering guitar on this midtempo bluesy track, bringing to mind Bonnie Raitt, and builds to a great emotional crescendo. The CD concludes with the stately hymn-like "Angel Choir," "I long to sing with an angel choir & lift my voice above this place & heal my wounded heart's desire to hold you close & touch your face." Webster delivers an excellent disc with "Drive," showing spunk & independence while tugging at the heart. Don't let this one pass by!

4 out of 5 stars This album's fine but doesn't showcase Webster's potential!.......2001-01-29

Last summer, I heard Chris Webster for the first time at the Kate Wolf Memorial Festival in Occidental. She sang solo, without her band, and (I think, it's been a while...) was accompanied only by Nina Gerber on guitar.

She absolutely knocked my socks off! The audience loved her. She performed in a sleeveless black turtleneck, jeans with a heavy black leather belt, and sunglasses. She had no "country" flavor at all, and without her band, her music lost most of it's "twang," instead taking on a raw, bluesy strength that seemed amazing coming from one little woman. She even adopted the classic blues stance, arms bent at the elbows, hands all expression...

Then I rushed out and bought "Drive".

Now, "Drive" is a ok album and I'll happily give it four stars. But, I speak from experience when I say that it doesn't begin to showcase what Chris Webster can do. Many of the songs I heard at the festival are on "Drive," but on the album, they're presented as pallid country send-ups of fine folksy-blues power songs. The problem isn't Webster, it's her band and the production of the album in general.

When I played it for my friend who attended the concert with me, she kept insisting it wasn't the same woman. In fact, I thought I had bought the wrong CD too, and then I heard "I'm Driving" and realized that is was by the same artist -- a watered-down version of the same song. "I'm Driving," sung the way Webster performed it live, has anthem potential... she had the audience whooping and hooting in the afternoon sun. But on the album it is a pink wine spritzer compared to the live version's shot of tequilla gold.

My specific complaints: Webster's presentation on the album lacks the soul of her live performance. The band frequently overrides her, and spends way to much time going "boom-chink, boom chink, boom-chink." This album smacks of bad advice. Someone is trying to "position" Webster as a commercially-viable country queen, and in the process is hiding her light under a ten-gallon hat!

My recommendation to Chris -- find Nina Gerber (the absolute stringed instrument goddess!), beg her to assemble your band and produce your next album.

My advice to the listener -- buy the album, enjoy it, get to know the music, and then go find Chris live. She'll blow you away!

5 out of 5 stars

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