Reviewed by Eric Saeger
There’s a certain kind of New Ager who’d dig Mia Doi Todd, whose voice is a cross between Annie Lennox and Joan Baez. And then there’s folks like me, who don’t lose sleep over not having any new music that sounds like the singer is battling tooth and nail just to stay in key. Pleasant and chilly as this stuff is (think ‘True’ by Spandau Ballet reinterpreted for yoga class, lots of bink… bink… incidental jazz chords), Todd needs to cease and desist even attempting trills until she truly understands what trills actually are in the first place, two alternating adjacent notes of the same key hit back and forth repeatedly and on-key. Her lyrics, inspired by the forest, beach, exotic tourist traps and blah blah blah, are nice and stuff, but cripes man, anyone’s mom could sing like this – maybe it ain’t quite as bad as South Park making fun of New Agers, but I personally will never listen to this CD again. But again, those two ears are yours to abuse as you see fit.
Grade: B-
