New Perspectives

Bay area composer/singer/harper Amelia Romano plays harp expertly; she studied with Bay area Paraguayan harp maestro Carlos Reyes; Latin style of harp playing is quite different in sound and technique from concert or Celtic harp – much more rhythmic and upbeat; with the exception of track 3, I prefer the instrumentals to most of the vocals

NO FCC's; Favorite tracks – 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13

1-Smile –3:03 -- uptempo pop vocal with interesting harp accompaniment

*2- Crazy Day –4:20 – nice long arpeggio intro – instrumental with guitar has Latin arpa flavor

*3-It's About Time (to speak your mind) -2:06 – upbeat, staccato, syncopated jazzy tune with minimal pointed vocals

*4 – Nataliana –3:07 – instrumental by inimitable harpist Deborah Henson-Conant; slower, more contemplative; gorgeously harpistic

*5—Joropo Ortiz –4:04 – lovely mellow but upbeat Paraguayan style tune written by Carlos Reyes

6- Salutations – 5:27-- vocal written and performed by Romano

*7—Defying Gravity – 5:37 –lovely instrumental mixture of treble harp with electric bass and percussion

8—Besame Mucho – 4:50 – Latin classic; accompaniment of harp viola, double bass and percussion are interesting

*9 -Baroque Flamenco –4:36 – dramatic rendition of instrumental composed by harpist/composer Deborah Henson-Conant

10- I'd Rather Go Blind –4:23 – cover of blues song written by Ellington Jones while in prison and previously performed by Etta James

*11-New Perspectives –4:11-- interesting instrumental with Latin motifs; harp as electronica

12- Receiver – 3:08 – song about Cape Town, South Africa

*13—Legacy – 3:21-- musical elegy for Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai

14- Counterpoint –4:10 – jazz-fusion vibe in this instrumental