"Rachael Lampa" by Rachael Lampa
Word Records
2004

What's up with artists releasing self titled cds several years into their career? Lampa has released two prior full length albums, in addition to a remix cd, all of which having been generally well received. Now, suddenly, it's time to release "Rachael Lampa?" I'd like to blame the title on writer's block. But how hard is it to scan the song titles and pick one that's sounds somewhat appropriate? "The Good Life" would have been excellent and "The Art" would have been more than adequate. But no, we have "Rachael Lampa."

"Rachael Lampa" begins with "All This Time," an ironic title considering the sprawling length of the song, over six minutes. A decade in pop music. A pop song that long is going to take chances, and as a result it ranks as one of the better songs on the cd.

The best song is "The Good Life." It's a bouncy track that features sunny guitars and a sunny melody. It could end up being a summer anthem. The song is punctuated by Robert Randolph's guest spot, where he takes his pedal steel guitar and solos.

The album's low point is track two, "Rubberhouse." It may be a great song if you've been living in a hole the past few years, but to everyone else it's blatant rip off of Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" will condemning it to mere parody. Skip it.

The rest of the cd is nice. Nothing too eye opening, but nothing terrible either. Lampa's voice is fairly strong, and other than a few weird mixing areas, the production is good. The cd won't appeal to someone who doesn't like pop. But for those who do, this is a strong effort. Just skip over "Rubber In Love", um, "Rubberhouse."

"Better," was Tony's flat analysis. "It's still rather sarcastic. I mean, 'Rubber In Love?' That's terrible!" He shook his head. "Remove it."

Note: At the time of writing, Amazon isn't listed as carrying this album. However, it can be picked up everywhere else.