Audio CD review:
Cheryl Wheeler - Defying Gravity

Cheryl Wheeler - Defying Gravity

Band: Cheryl Wheeler Title: Defying Gravity Rating: Release Date: 2005-02-08 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Since You've Been Gone 2: Little Road 3: Must Be Sinking Now 4: Beyond the Lights 5: Summer's Almost Over 6: Defying Gravity - Cheryl Wheeler, Winchester, Jesse 7: Clearwater, Florida 8: Here Come Floyd 9: Alice 10: This Is Me 11: It's the Phone 12: On the Plane 13: Blessed

Critics can be so frustrating Consequently, the reviews all sound the same, excellent songwriter but always broken hearts and funny performance tracks. Critics try so hard to pigeonhole artists, and Cheryl Wheeler cannot be pigeonholed. They never get how the one relates to the other, nor, for that matter the incredible range of her subjects and how well she leaves them open to listener interpretation, the best signifier of an accomplished artist and poet. For example, on *Defying Gravity*, the same father we met for his birthday on "75 Septembers" back in 1993 on the *Driving Home* album, has passed on, and Wheeler sets the stage for *Defying Gravity* by laying her grief bare in "Since You've Been Gone. " Having lost both parents myself in the years since her last album (*Sylvia Hotel*), I realized that this was the song I had been waiting to hear to help me with my grief. Then she reflects on the loss of another loved one in "Beyond the Lights," which uses the best sailing imagery since the Romantic poets. Not only is she taking us with her on a reflective journey that is similar to the reflections in which we find ourselves as we grieve, but long-time fans know this is an early treasure from her first release, no longer in print, and aptly titled "Newport Songs. " It was actually "Beyond the Lights" that introduced me to Wheeler a number of years ago; A friend shared it on a mix tape because it described beautifully the confrontation with grief, guilt and mortality suicide survivors have, a struggle I was having myself upon the suicide of another dear friend. And having her share this lost treasure with her listeners was like the gift you receive at the wake that is the one perfect item that allows you to get through it all. As she proceeds through *Defying Gravity* she provides more familiar touchstones, including the live tracks which are indeed usually very funny, but also very cogent and timely social commentary. And my experience of this album is that there is a deliberate message here, that we can defy the gravity of aging (literally and figuratively) if we stay engaged in the world around us, something she says she's not ready to do at the beginning of the album but demonstrates throughout that she was doing all along anyway. A sentiment to emulate by a wise woman and artist. Who is indeed one of the best singer-songwriters of her generation. The critics are definitely right about that. . Can it get any better? I was wrong. After months of being unable to remove Cheryl Wheeler's Driving Home CD from my CD player years ago, I never really expected any of her newer albums, while excellent, to be able to hit the mark set by that album's sheer lyricism and poignancy. Defying Gravity pretty much matches it stride for stride. There are at least five "genius level" songs on it, in my view ("Alice", "Summer's Almost Over", "Here Come Floyd", "Little Road", and "Blessed"). I noticed how much I'd fallen in love with this album when my children asked me why I kept playing the same song over and over (in that case, it was "Summer's Almost Over", but "Alice" has evoked the same behavior in me). You honestly can't go wrong buying this album. Highly recommended. A treasure I looked her up on Amazon and fell in love with her music. I met her in the Medford, Oregon airport-what a delight. She is absolutely wonderful. . . what a talent. Defying Gravity by Cheryl Wheeler I found Cheryl during the "heyday" of Napster, bought all of her albums, she never fails to please!!!. Tears And Laughter Compelling lyrics are fairly common among the many accomplished "contemporary folk" artists working today. Cheryl Wheeler possesses one of the most beautiful and distinctive voices in the music business, and has (especially for these times) that rarest of talents: she writes memorable, TUNEFUL songs. I would even venture to say that "poetry," as opposed to mere jingle-writing, is pretty much expected of anyone looking to rise above the crowd (and it is an ever-expanding crowd). But few have the ability to compose melodies that match or exceed lyrical content. A handful of artists are distinguishing themselves these days in this respect (Dar Williams, John Gorka, Lucinda Williams and Eliza Gilkyson come most immediately to mind), and many of them, like Cheryl Wheeler, have been toiling at the fringes of commercial success for quite a few years. Thankfully, Wheeler and Co. do not seem to care much about the mainstream, and those of us who value music that rises above the usual type of dopey love song that tends to make it into the Top 40, are all the richer for it. Not that Ms. Wheeler does not write about love. It is one of her main subjects, and among her loveliest songs are compositions about every kind of love; they are thoughtful and personal and deep, and have the ability to draw tears from a grown man. This grown man, anyway. On DEFYING GRAVITY, which contains a collection of the most gorgeous melodies she has ever written, Cheryl Wheeler is found at the top of her game. "Little Road," in which Wheeler wonders "how can there be trouble in this world," while marveling at the blissful flow of nature, is heartbreaking, and more potent than any political rant could ever be. "Alice" is equally moving, about a middle-aged woman who becomes nomadic after the death of her husband. "Summer's Almost Over" is of a type of song that Cheryl Wheeler has made her own particular specialty: careful yet emotional observation of the changing seasons, and of nature in general. This one is among her most quietly powerful, and I can't imagine anyone with a heart in their chest not being moved by it. No losers here, but there is an awkward juxtaposition, as in most of Cheryl's albums, of gorgeous songs with very funny ones. She has a bit of a split personality, and her humor is by turns hilarious and scathing. This "other" Cheryl is best seen and heard live, and, indeed, the satyrical songs on her albums are often from concert performances, as are "It's The Phone" and "On The Plane," included on DEFYING GRAVITY. Thank you, Cheryl, for so perfectly articulating the outrage so many of us feel at the many rude, loud cell phone users that we all encounter on the train, on the bus, in crowds. There is no such thing as a bad Cheryl Wheeler album, but if you've never explored the worlds of Cheryl Wheeler, this is as good a place as any to start. Simply brilliant. You can see a complete list of all Cheryl Wheeler discography, or go back to the Cheryl Wheeler tabs