There are times when I think I am lost in music. Caught in a trap, even. Then there are times when I think I might be tripping over musical clichés and times when I wonder how anybody gets through life, or a gig at least, without alcohol. So it was that my now vulnerable consciousness encountered the many wonders of Louise Rutkowski.
When she announced that she was going to sing her album “Diary of a Lost Girl” in its entirety and the backing track kicked in, my spirits prepared for the seemingly inevitable orbital decay over the planet Disappointment for Ms. Rutkowski has a real voice, properly trained and truly entrancing, that needs nowhere to hide and she certainly would have no need of a backing track to keep her on that road to musical redemption.
Sure enough, the first couple of songs were perfunctory replays of the recorded version but, as all sportsmen and women know, everybody needs a warm up. Suitably warmed up and properly ready to go for gold, Ms. Rutkowski steadily built up the drama until she was ready to go large on the emotion and take that well deserved place on the winner’s podium.
That’s the thing, you see. The ability to take mere words and float them upon a cloud is the mark of a great singer. Anything else in the presentation is incidental for that talent is rare and, in the interests of clarity and for the avoidance of doubt, is a talent blessed upon Louise Rutkowski.
I don’t know if you can name the stars in the sky but, if you can, I’m sure I’d name one of them Louise Rutkowski.