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Album Details

• Artist: Krista Parrish Trio
• Album: Playing With Pendulums
• Label: Music For the Mind
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: mark_morton on 2011-07-08

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On paper, Krista Parrish is an extremely gifted singer-songwriter...on paper. In the realm of aural resonance, The Krista Parrish Trio defies categorization and is a wildfire of musical expression. Her songs are more like miniature tone poems than radio-friendly singles, in that musical statements are permitted to breathe and grow with defined ambience. As a package, Playing with Pendulums barrels through an array of emotions: frustration, joy, sorrow, hope, bitterness, and even Fahrvergnügen.

Vocally, Parrish sings with the conviction of Carole King, the bold urgency of Adele, the histrionic mysticism of Stevie Nicks, and the delicate prose of Joan Baez. But she is doing much more than singing words; her voice also acts as an instrument, accompanying the "trio" and enhancing the compositions into the realm of "quartet." She treats the music less like mathematical orchestration and more as giving life to timbre-legged, pop/soul-hearted children. Each song is birthed as the elements weave together in their own organic DNA strand - from the neo-jazz drumming and the progressive rock bass runs to Parrish's potent guitar work and the aforementioned lustrous vocals.

And speaking of guitar work, Parrish can go chop-for-chop with the most downtrodden of blues guitarists to the most blister-fingered of malevolent metallers. Listen to any of the instrumental cuts on the CD; the evidence is clear that the woman is a true axe-slinger. At any given moment, she can conjure the flavors of Al Di Meola, Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Eric Clapton, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and even a taste of Dave Mustaine.

To call her a folk musician would be demeaning, and to call her a singer/songwriter would be offensive. Parrish is one of a dying breed of true musicians who can encompass traits of several genres in one composition without kowtowing to the conventions of any one, all the while retaining a sense of ownership and individuality. This is the first album of "music for music's sake" that I have heard in a very, very long time.

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