Splendor in the Grass

We Say...

Review by Barry Walters

A cult success in the States but a bona fide mainstream hit in France, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey and Greece, Portland's Pink Martini serves as a kind of musical ambassador for America's diversity. With lyrics in Neapolitan, English, French, Italian and Spanish gently crooned over elements of jazz, bossa nova, samba, early '70s pop, classical and bygone film soundtracks, the multilingual/multicultural/ multi-genre group's fourth album is both its most ambitious and easiest to enjoy. In its open, steady hands, elegance and eclecticism are the pathways to enlightenment. In an era dominated by fear, Pink Martini offers gentility as an antidote.

You can hear that sophisticated salve in its languid interpretation of the Sesame Street/Carpenters classic "Sing." As gentle Latin rhythms sway, singer China Forbes duets with Emilio Delgado (who's better known as Sesame Street's Luis). The optimism is undeniable, but there's also a touch of gravity. Delgado is no longer a young man, and as the song modulates to higher keys, the harmonies grow more complex and exquisite.

Pink Martini's symphonic textures reflect its respect for cooperation. "Over the Valley" and the title track embrace nature as love's metaphor and oasis. Franz Schubert's Fantasy in F-minor is the inspiration for "And Then You're Gone" and "But Now I'm Back." In the former, Forbes decides that she's finished pining after a touch-and-go lover. In the latter, guest vocalist Art Shapiro (NPR's Justice Correspondent) reappears to beg forgiveness and disappear yet again. The tone on both tracks is playful; the percussion lends itself to tango and boogie-woogie. Here and elsewhere, elements of kitsch and scholarship compliment each other to deflect pure camp or po-faced seriousness. Rather than wielding a melting pot, the bands hold a mixed cocktail. Effervescence is its own reward.