TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the April 2013 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
Experience Film Scores in an Extraordinary New Way! Beautiful A Capella Renditions! Jazz Bassist Charlie Haden's Daughter!
Petras love of instruments has enabled her to provide unique voices to the notes she sings, re-creating the sounds of the instruments with her own voice, in pop, classical, jazz, blues, or any other idiom or genre one cares to name. She has developed complex arrangements in her head and can interpret a wide variety of ecclectic sounding music.
The renown of Petras vocal accompaniment, solo and harmonies led her to accompany artists such as Foo Fighters (In Your Honor), Green Day (Nimrod, Take 2), Bette Midler (Bathhouse Betty), Beck (B Side Collection: Stray Blues, Mellow Gold, Loser, Guero) and Victoria Williams (Sings Some Ol' Songs, Water To Drink). She has also worked with her sisters, fellow triplets Rachel and Tanya as The Haden Sisters , appearing at clubs in LA and at the SXSW music conference. It was while playing at SXSW on the same bill as The Decemberists that Petra met the band that she would spend most of 2005 touring with. She became an integral part of the Portland groups live shows providing key vocal and instrumental support to leader Colin Meloys iconoclastic vocals and songs.
Petra Hadens wondrous new album Petra Goes to the Movies offers a one of a kind opportunity to experience film scores in an extraordinary new way. Epic and evocative scores have been ingeniously recreated utilizing layers of remarkably inventive vocals. Far from a mere novelty, these interpretations retain all the emotional resonance of the originals. Petra Goes to the Movies features Haden, a highly regarded session musician (Foo Fighters, Beck, the Decemberists) and former member of That Dog, delivering a cappella versions of scores from films such as Psycho, Rebel Without A Cause, Taxi Driver, Superman and more.
Haden, who hails from a musical family that includes her father, distinguished jazz bassist Charlie Haden, has a history of working a capella; in 2005, at the suggestion of bassist Mike Watt, she recorded and released an a-cappella rendition of the Whos pop masterwork The Who Sell Out to widespread acclaim. Upon hearing the record, Pete Townshend telephoned Haden to enthusiastically thank her, proclaiming her version of his album beautiful.
Petra Goes to the Movies is the culmination of Hadens lifelong love for both vocal interpretation and movie music: The idea of interpreting music with my voice started when I was little, she explains. I would hear music around the house and mimic the instruments with my voice. And I love movies but my favorite thing about them has always been the soundtracks. When people hear this record I want them to feel what I felt when I first saw the film, even if theyve never seen it. In addition to Hadens multi layered vocals, the record features notable guest appearances by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Charlie Haden and Bill Frisell.
"Haden rocked the world with her totally a cappella rendering of The Who Sell Out. Here, she combines that a cappella methodology (layered vocals emulating instruments from strings to horns to percussion, and achieving orchestral grandeur) with straight-ahead lyric singing and guest instrumentals (Frisell, dad Charlie, and pianist Brad Mehldau appear) to interpret film scores and movie songs dear to her heart... [H]er pitch-perfect execution - rendered deep and vivid in the detailed mix - is technically dazzling and emotionally thrilling. And lots of fun, too." - Derk Richardson, The Absolute Sound, 4.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics
Features:
Vinyl LP
Includes Bonus CD of Entire Album
A Capella
Musicians:
Petra Haden, vocals
Brad Mehldau, piano
Charlie Haden, bass
Bill Frisell, guitar
Selections:
Side A:
1. Rebel Without A Cause Main Title - Rebel Without A Cause
2. God's Lonely Man - Taxi Driver
3. Cool Hand Luke Main Title - Cool Hand Luke
4. Cinema Paradiso - Cinema Paradiso
5. A Fistful Of Dollars Theme - A Fistful Of Dollars
6. Psycho Main Title Psycho
7. Goldfinger Main Title Goldfinger
8. Carlotta's Galop - 8 1/2
9. It Might Be You Tootsie
Side B:
10. The Planet Krypton Superman
11. Superman Theme Superman
12. My Bodyguard - My Bodyguard
13. Pascal's Waltz - Big Night
14. Calling You - Bagdad Café
15. Hand Covers Bruise - The Social Network
16. This Is Not America - The Falcon and the Snowman
Experience Film Scores in an Extraordinary New Way! Beautiful A Capella Renditions! Jazz Bassist Charlie Haden's Daughter!
Petras love of instruments has enabled her to provide unique voices to the notes she sings, re-creating the sounds of the instruments with her own voice, in pop, classical, jazz, blues, or any other idiom or genre one cares to name. She has developed complex arrangements in her head and can interpret a wide variety of ecclectic sounding music.
The renown of Petras vocal accompaniment, solo and harmonies led her to accompany artists such as Foo Fighters (In Your Honor), Green Day (Nimrod, Take 2), Bette Midler (Bathhouse Betty), Beck (B Side Collection: Stray Blues, Mellow Gold, Loser, Guero) and Victoria Williams (Sings Some Ol' Songs, Water To Drink). She has also worked with her sisters, fellow triplets Rachel and Tanya as The Haden Sisters , appearing at clubs in LA and at the SXSW music conference. It was while playing at SXSW on the same bill as The Decemberists that Petra met the band that she would spend most of 2005 touring with. She became an integral part of the Portland groups live shows providing key vocal and instrumental support to leader Colin Meloys iconoclastic vocals and songs.
Petra Hadens wondrous new album Petra Goes to the Movies offers a one of a kind opportunity to experience film scores in an extraordinary new way. Epic and evocative scores have been ingeniously recreated utilizing layers of remarkably inventive vocals. Far from a mere novelty, these interpretations retain all the emotional resonance of the originals. Petra Goes to the Movies features Haden, a highly regarded session musician (Foo Fighters, Beck, the Decemberists) and former member of That Dog, delivering a cappella versions of scores from films such as Psycho, Rebel Without A Cause, Taxi Driver, Superman and more.
Haden, who hails from a musical family that includes her father, distinguished jazz bassist Charlie Haden, has a history of working a capella; in 2005, at the suggestion of bassist Mike Watt, she recorded and released an a-cappella rendition of the Whos pop masterwork The Who Sell Out to widespread acclaim. Upon hearing the record, Pete Townshend telephoned Haden to enthusiastically thank her, proclaiming her version of his album beautiful.
Petra Goes to the Movies is the culmination of Hadens lifelong love for both vocal interpretation and movie music: The idea of interpreting music with my voice started when I was little, she explains. I would hear music around the house and mimic the instruments with my voice. And I love movies but my favorite thing about them has always been the soundtracks. When people hear this record I want them to feel what I felt when I first saw the film, even if theyve never seen it. In addition to Hadens multi layered vocals, the record features notable guest appearances by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Charlie Haden and Bill Frisell.
"Haden rocked the world with her totally a cappella rendering of The Who Sell Out. Here, she combines that a cappella methodology (layered vocals emulating instruments from strings to horns to percussion, and achieving orchestral grandeur) with straight-ahead lyric singing and guest instrumentals (Frisell, dad Charlie, and pianist Brad Mehldau appear) to interpret film scores and movie songs dear to her heart... [H]er pitch-perfect execution - rendered deep and vivid in the detailed mix - is technically dazzling and emotionally thrilling. And lots of fun, too." - Derk Richardson, The Absolute Sound, 4.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics
Features:
Vinyl LP
Includes Bonus CD of Entire Album
A Capella
Musicians:
Petra Haden, vocals
Brad Mehldau, piano
Charlie Haden, bass
Bill Frisell, guitar
Selections:
Side A:
1. Rebel Without A Cause Main Title - Rebel Without A Cause
2. God's Lonely Man - Taxi Driver
3. Cool Hand Luke Main Title - Cool Hand Luke
4. Cinema Paradiso - Cinema Paradiso
5. A Fistful Of Dollars Theme - A Fistful Of Dollars
6. Psycho Main Title Psycho
7. Goldfinger Main Title Goldfinger
8. Carlotta's Galop - 8 1/2
9. It Might Be You Tootsie
Side B:
10. The Planet Krypton Superman
11. Superman Theme Superman
12. My Bodyguard - My Bodyguard
13. Pascal's Waltz - Big Night
14. Calling You - Bagdad Café
15. Hand Covers Bruise - The Social Network
16. This Is Not America - The Falcon and the Snowman