Thursday, July 29, 2010

Ingrid Chavez

I have always liked Ingrid Chavez. Poet, singer, muse, seeker.
She was once a Prince protégé. He co-wrote and produced her debut release, “May 19, 1992” on his Paisley Park label. I liked this album a lot and still have quite a soft spot for it and for her. Part spoken word over atmospheric sounds, part oddly gentle pop music, the album was pleasantly genre-defying.
And he cast her as his co-star in the most unfortunate film “Graffiti Bridge,” possibly one of the worst films ever made. No kidding.

But she went on to write “Justify My Love” with Lenny Kravitz (which became an enormous hit for Madonna), marry musician and singer/songwriter David Sylvian, have two children, cultivate a spiritual life following the Hindu guru Ammachi (or “Amma,” or “The Mother”), get divorced and move back to the frozen expanses of Minnesota.
And now sixteen years later, she has released her second full solo album, entitled “A Flutter And Some Words” and I am unexpectedly happy to hear from her again. Her soft, restrained vocals are still there but with more depth, and her imagery is just as sweet. This video for the first single, “By The Water” featuring a very David Sylvian-like intro is lovely.


I am captivated by the beauty, the snow, the solitude, the introspection--and by the string section!--in this trailer for her album.
"I'm goin' down,
I'm goin' under.
I'm returning to soil,
I'm returning to seed...
I don't know where I've been,
but it's not here where I belong..."



And in case you are wondering, here is "Hippy Blood," from her debut album produced by Prince.



http://ingridchavez.com/

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