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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Sara Donaldson
The beginning ...\r\n(Self-released)
By Jennifer Robertson
Sara Donaldson is a Renaissance Woman. She’s a painter, photographer, and classically trained musician whose sound art is extremely visual. The 25-year-old North Texan has been a studio accompanist for a while, but she’s just recently got around to releasing a c.d. of her own. The beginning ... sounds pristinely polished, even though the recording is as close to scratch as possible. The reason for the disc’s luster: Donaldson’s delicate voice, which can shift from straight and jazzy one second to fluttery and rock-ish the next, is gem-like.
Donaldson plays every instrument on the record — and just about every instrument imaginable. (It would be easier to list the ones she doesn’t play.) Throughout the c.d, though, she sticks mainly to piano, Wurlitzer, guitar, and her prized cello. The starkly orchestral instrument appears in every song but doesn’t dull the disc’s overall Triple-A poppy sound.
“Back to the Beginning,” the first track, is — according to Donaldson’s press info — highly autobiographical. The song is essentially about the distractions — from an intense interest in politics to studying medicine in college — that kept the singer-songwriter from staying true to music. A faithful friend and an impromptu Christmas recording session not long ago revived her love of music and, per the song’s title, brought her back to the beginning. The cello that complements the wispy imagery on “Drops of Rain” (a.k.a. “Opus 2,” what Donaldson originally titled the song when she wrote it — as a child!) and that lends a haunting mood to “So Far Away” is the very same cello that Donaldson almost sold during an irrational moment in college. Lovers of smart easy-listening music will be glad she came to her senses.
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