Before 1998, only a handful of women musicians were able to emerge and break the glass ceiling. Today, women are taking the stage by storm. I give the Internet much of the credit here – women in particular have benefited from the ease of sharing music with only the touch of a key on a keyboard. They can now learn the tools of the trade on their own to back their music careers.

Portland musician Andi Fawcett has grown up musically during this renaissance for women. She has been on the music scene for about 10 years, singing lead for various bands before eventually starting Doubting Gravity in 2005. She released her first solo CD two years ago to great reviews.

Her newest effort is a four-song eponymous EP, which highlights her songwriting skills coupled with her emotive spirit.

The first track, “Angel Down,” is a touching tribute to a loved one: “I watch it try to break it down/ I watch it try to make you feel the weight of the sound/ Of the voices that tell you, ‘Just let go’/ But you don’t, for me I know.”

Fawcett’s signature acoustic guitar-playing starts the song off, then she adds her delicate voice, which wavers a bit in honesty and truth. She hits the nail on the head for song structure, as she then moves into a big lush chorus with a fat synth sound and vocals reaching for an ever-so-elusive brass ring in the composite of it all.

The second track, “Best Wasted,” has a cool, funky groove (credit to Josh Prescott on bass), illustrating the diversity in Fawcett’s pop/rock artillery, as she can add some funky soul into the mix. She’s got an edge here, capturing her enterprising talents to change up her sound a bit.

Overall, these four tracks are a strong testament to Fawcett’s ingenuity and zeal in her craft. My only complaint is the voice/instrumentation mix, as Fawcett’s voice, while beautiful, was in stark contrast many times to the more softly mixed instrumentals. If the vocal shifted, as it did many times through the truly passionate delivery, it became very apparent where she would fall flat or sharp against the backdrop.

Nonetheless, I look forward to what the future holds for these musicians. They probably won’t be coming down to Earth anytime soon, as they seek and conquer somewhere in the collective cosmos of life’s mysteries while pondering Newton’s theory artistically.

Kristin DiCara-McClellan is a freelance writer.

 

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