Oh, AudioVino, how you continue to surprise us! One day we're listening to a bad country album, the next we are observers of a psychedelic acid-trip circa 1969 (while we observe this trip, however, we stick to our wine.) Our tasting today led us to try J Vinyards' Pinot Gris, which we were extremely excited about because of our fondness for their fantastic Pinot Noir. Our music selection, courtesy of the one-and-only Deaf Ear Records, was Susan Christie's "Paint A Lady."
A little background on our music choice: after purchasing our albums, we always read the inserts for info about the band, artwork, etc. This insert told the story of how the album came to be. Susan Christie, we learned, was a one-hit-wonder of the late sixties, who never seemed to make it in the music world past the release her initial single. She was a local artist from Philadelphia, and she continued to perform folk music in the area long after her major hit "I Love Onions" had shriveled up in the sun. In 2006, Finders Keepers Records released this album featuring tracks that had been recorded in small record studios throughout the Philly area.
And my, what an album! Susan Christie dates herself in a very good way, with a great folk sound underscored by funky instrumentation and trippy musical sequences. Her rendition of the folk tune "Ghost Riders in the Sky" is probably the only folk song every recorded over a funky brass horn arrangement, with Cher-like vocals resounding over top. Then, as if that wasn't original enough, "Yesterday, Where's My Mind?" is preluded with a narrative of a bad acid trip, followed up by twangy blues guitars and purposefully out-of-tune piano. The key to this record, though, was that it didn't try too hard. The overall simplicity of the melodies and the chords allowed the album room to breathe--resulting in the strange instrumentation and technique sounding melodic, rather than over-the-top.
As for the wine, we were not expecting what we got. On the first stiff, we both immediately thought of Parmesan cheese and buttered noodles. The wine had a definite softness to it, helped along by some butter and bread on the front of the palate. As the wine evolved, though, we got some bright fruit notes that we enjoyed, and a bit of acidity on the finish. So, how did we like it?
Nick's Review
Audio
Susan Christie is best known for her 1966 hit "I Love Onions." I know most of you just stopped reading...for those that didn't, her obscure record "Paint A Lady" is a nice album shot right out of the 60's and with a great mod vibe on a classic style, that was definitely ahead of its time. Christie's voice is powerful and edgy but at times can sound quite juvenile and gentle. Think of the wonderful Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane.
Most of the songs on this album play tribute to the era with fairly simple isntrumentations and a very 6's vibe in both sound quality and instrumental effects. Many of the songs contain brass parts that will remind you of rock/folk greats by Neil Young.
The music can be very psychedelic like the title track "Paint A Lady" even to the point were they become very trippy, like track 5 "Yesterday, Where's My Mind?" which starts off with a three minute narrative set to percussion, in which Christie recalls a story of taking a pill she bought off of a street merchant and the adventure on the streets that this leads to. She paints a very descriptive picture of these events.
My favorite track by far was the last, "No One Can Hear You Cry". Think the Girl from Ipanema live at Woodstock. Very jazzy and you can picture Christie singing in a blues lounge. This song is surprisingly upbeat for the nature of the lyrics, which you can guess at by the title.
Looking for a cool 60's retro experience that has enough mod factor to keep you interested? Than check out this album. Doo doo dunt (Think Reading Rainbow!) You'll even get an odd fanboy-esque experience when you listen to track 4 which is Christie's rendition of the song "Ghost Riders in the Sky", which my wife wrote down as "Ghost Writers in the Sky" on our notes...apparently she had blogging on the brain!
9/10
Vino
What can I say about J? It's a fantastic American wine producer from the Russian River Valley, well known for it's Pinot Noir and Bubbly. However this day we tried their Pinot Gris. Popping this bottle is a treat. J comes in a thick walled Burgundian style bottle that makes you feel like you are more special than your everyday self.
The color is very light yellow and crystal clear, the nose is one dial more opaque and the pallet one dial more opaque than that...but that's the extent. What I mean is that J is about as light as you can get without being too thin. "Just about right" is the best way to put it. The nose has hints of buttered noodles, basil, and canned peas. The front of the pallet is medium bodied with a light flavor of exotic fruit--think star fruit. The mid-pallet leaves a bit to be desired but has hints of a nice pesto pasta. The finish saves what could be a flabby wine with a bit of acidity, but I was still looking for a bit more acidity and a bit more complexity.
I appreciated this wine and would recommend trying it, however if someone is looking for a great wine from J Vineyards they should probably stick with their fantastic Pinot Noirs!
86 pts
Maggie's Review
Audio
I'm still trying to come down from this record . . . seriously, though. What I really can't believe was how Susan Christie didn't become more than a one-hit-wonder. This album was both fanstastic and ahead of it's time. Some of the highlights were mentioned in our intro, such as the unique rendition of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and the trippy "Yesterday, Where's My Mind." As a vocalist myself, I really, really enjoyed the last track, "No One Can Hear You Cry," which showcased a lot of vocal jazz standards in the background, and had a very subtle sway throughout the entire tune. Norah Jones could have remade that song, while Jewel could have remade other tracks. The entire album kept on surprising, though it all sounded remarkably cohesive and melodic. If you're into the 60's rock and folk, this album is gold.
9/10
Vino
I was admittedly a bit disappointed. I tried J's Pinot Noir when I was first beginning to drink wine, and have heralded it as my favorite wine ever since. I should have known, however, that J can't do every varietal as exceptionally as it does its Pinot Noir.
The Pinot Gris was ridiculously smooth, quite buttery, subtle, and soothing. It was easy to drink, though not fruity at all, and would make a great pairing with bread and olive oil--but that's about as far as it goes. I appreciate its simplicity and its pleasantries, but it doesn't have much personality. I would have loved a little more of the Pinot Gris fruits or a punch on the finish, but this wine just didn't have it. In addition, it didn't have any old-world, standoffish quality either. It was merely pleasant, like a pretty girl with no personality.
84 pts.
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