Sarah Perrotta | Blue to Gold
(Third Star Records)
In Kingston singer-songwriter/keyboardist Sarah Perrotta’s imagination, strange worlds converge, doors open to rooms that are not there, people come and go in circles and waves. Perrotta’s overriding subject is the liminal space between nature and passion, reason and mysticism, explored in nine gorgeous songs on her new album that, while harking back to the heyday of the Lilith Fair aesthetic, conjures a very contemporary fever dream. Perrotta’s considerable vocal instrument—boasting an awesome range and a natural vibrato—soars above the impeccable instrumental arrangements she designed with producer/drummer Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Indigo Girls).
Recorded in Woodstock at Dreamland and Jersville studios, the album features a stupid amount of superstar talent: Sarah McLachlan guitarist Bill Dillon (Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson) contributes George Harrison-like slide guitar to “Echo of Joy”; longtime Suzanne Vega sideman Marc Shulman adds evocative twang to Perrotta’s sensual “Firestorm”; and Sara Lee (Gang of Four, B-52s) and Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson) keep things funky on bass. The melody of the radio-ready “Heartbeat” hints at Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and features evocative organ by Daniel Weiss and textured acoustic guitar by Peter Calo. The concluding track, “Circles,” features a melody reminiscent of Radiohead, opening with a simple piano figure played by Perrotta and a gorgeous outro of lush Minimalism that sounds like the Roches singing Philip Glass. Blue to Gold should appeal to fans of all those associated performers along with Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Aimee Mann, and Paula Cole.
Perrotta will perform at the Falcon in Marlboro on January 6.
