Susan Osborn

With The Pearl, Susan Osborn has created a breathy and ethereal recording that features a variety of traditional Japanese folk tunes arranged for English. This is an extremely dark recording, but at the same time optimistic. The darker parts of this recording sound a lot like the work of Sergei Rachmaninoff, especially the passages with piano and voice; of particular similarity to this collection is Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise." The record seems to be divided between those tracks that consist of piano and those that consist of guitar. The tracks that consist of guitar are quite reminiscent of the guitar work on Brian Eno's Apollo, which is comprised of a light guitar timbre quite a bit like a Fender Stratocaster going through a lot of reverb and chorus effect, creating an ambient wall of sound not so different from what Phil Spector created with his early recordings. All of the timbres on this recording only have a supporting role to Susan Osborn's voice. Her voice is extremely rich and unwavering; it's that unwavering stability in her voice that almost jumps out through the speakers. Fans of vocal music will enjoy this recording, as will fans of a contemplative, yet substantive music. ~ Matt Borghi, All Music Guide