JONATHA BROOKE

Here's my story. I met Jonatha Brooke about ten years ago while doing open mike nights at Catch A Rising Star in Cambridge, MA, which showcased local musical talent after the comedy club hours. That is where I first heard the songs that would later become The Story's first two albums, Grace in Gravity and The Angel in the House. I remember hearing those tunes in a bar in a basement in Harvard Square, thinking, "Wow," and "What? There's a two drink minimum?"

I ran into Jonatha in an airport in 1994, and she told me she was going solo, musically, not flying, and she put me on a mailing list and I continued to listen to her first two releases with awe and delight. She soon after released Plumb, which was provoking and playful and other "P" words. Her songs sounded even MORE JONATHA, if that makes any sense at all.

Critics raved about all three albums, and this makes me so happy, both because I know I'm not the only sycophant, and also because everyone knows that a bad review can ruin it for an artist, and I want everyone to hear this music! (Wow, I am starting to sound a little like Kathy Bates in Misery....)

I went to see her play live recently, in L.A., where she now resides, after which I could not wait for 10¢ Wings to be released so I could listen to "Secrets and Lies," "Blood from a Stone," the title cut and other songs all the time. Each communicates Jonatha's daring and darling spirit, as it seeps out through her poetic lyrics and both classic and classy tunes. You will want to dance and sing or listen quietly to this music over and over again, until you lose your job. Trust me.

I swear, Jonatha did not pay me to say any of this. She should, but that's not your problem. Seriously, on her recently released album 10¢ Wings,Jonatha Brooke (oh God am I corny) soars: her newest songs are full of passion, irony, sensuality, creativity, humor, and clarity. The music is gorgeous, and I can't wait to give it to everyone I like.

... Wendy Liebman

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