Ethel Lindsey – Pretty Close
If “Pretty Close” would have been released towards the end of the 70s, it would have been a hit immediately. Today, the songs and production almost sound like an outré attempt of keeping this golden age in music alive. And it works perfectly. Singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Ethel Lindsey completely wrote, composed, and performed the eight tracks herself. What a major feat! This is her debut album for the brilliant French label Favorite Recordings (there are several albums recorded between 2002 and 2010 not released on any label), and the Paris-born artist easily, nonchalantly merges the best of what soul, funk, disco, yacht rock and AOR music had to offer between, say, 1977 and 1983. By using a lot of vintage analog equipment, the whole sound of the album brims with nostalgia and yet, there is also a lot of fresh air coming in.
Ethel plays Rhodes, a Yamaha CP 70, Mini Moog, and a Prophet-6. Even his voice seems to come from another era, easily switching to higher pitches on the flowing, glorious title track which opens the album. It also features great guitar work by Laurent Guillet and smashing, very tight brass by Paul Bouclier (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Frank Chatona (sax). “Sore In Your Eyes” is another thickly grooving midtempo favorite. Its driving, subtly urgent brand comes across with a very sophisticated middle section with some effective percussion work by Gaël Leprince Caetano. Sometimes the whole mood and structure and textures remind me of Jay Graydon (especially the guitar parts) and on pieces like “Winner”, the whole vocal arrangement is sort of a mix between Rod Temperton and Graydon, with some Bill Champlin and Earth, Wind & Fire thrown in. Yes, it’s that good. Magnetic! The slower pieces also work triumphantly. Ethel’s handling of “Together Again” is outstanding throughout. Even the bridge, which could be a bit hastily thrown in on many tunes of the era, is full of elegance and purity.
Side two of the LP (yes it’s also out on vinyl) opens with the guitar-driven “Day Dream”, another winner with those typical handclaps and smooth backing vocals. I really dig the shuffling groove of “Love Paved The Way” (Ethel sometimes reminds me of soul singer O’Bryan, especially on this particular track). Great Moog solo on this one. Her falsetto shines through on “Hold On”, another smash and proof that there is not a single mediocre or filler track around. Listen to that short but effective Moog bass solo courtesy of Florian Pellissier, with some Chic-like bass thumping by Virgile Raffaëlli. It is “save the best for last” on this album: “Make You Mine” is so incredibly timeless, soulful, and elegant it could go on forever.
