The Price We Pay For Love
Whirlwind, 2023
8/10
Listen to The Price We Pay For Love
The versatile singer Julie Christensen is aligned with the bassist and string arranger Terry Lee Burns for these jazz spirited songs that take from many genres and welcome many friends along for the journey.
“Hejira”, by Joni Mitchell, starts the listen with a soft rumbling, as Christensen’s expressive pipes guide the precise bass and dreamy climate, and “Goldbridge Road” follows with Michael Moss’ gentle acoustic guitar and Sergio Webb’s well timed slide guitar in the country influenced delivery.
“Save Your Love For Me” lands at the halfway point, and showcases Burns’ meticulous bass prowess and Christensen’s powerful voice amid much intimacy, while “A Remark You Made” floats with a chilling atmosphere and presents John Funkhouser’s melodica alongside the poetic singing/talking.
Close to the end, Funkhouser’s mature piano and Greg Leisz’s glowing lap steel help make “Can’t Find My Way Home” the album’s best, and “Hilltop” exits with Karen Hammack’s emotive keys and the subtle bass that complements Christensen’s stirring presence.
Christensen formerly was in the bands Divine Horsemen and Passenger, and she’s well versed in pop, soul, country and punk as well. Major label limbo and motherhood may have slowed her solo work down at some points, but now older and wiser, she’s making some of the best music of her life.
Travels well with: Tim Grimm- The Little In-Between; Ben De La Cour- Shadow Land