Amplifier Magazine - July 6th 2009

ANDI STARR NEW WARM WORLD - INDEPENDENT

Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream. Following her brilliant 2007 release Leaving The White Line, Starr’s latest collection emerges as a rather mellow, introspective journey. A classically trained pianist who transfers her skills to the acoustic guitar, Starr weaves her signature legato melodies through all sorts of cosmic folk terrain on New Warm World. Though she plays a myriad of instruments (keyboards, electric/acoustic guitar, vibraphone, harpsichord, tongue drum, mandolin, percussion etc.), Starr shines brightest when she has a living, breathing rhythm section pushing her. Case in point: Chris Donohue’s warm fretless bass and drummer Greg Hardy’s jazzy brush-work add an ethereal dimension to “Rebel Sky.” Ditto “Go To The Ocean” (bassist Mark Hashimoto, Lee Scrivner on djembe) which is the stuff of Joni Mitchell in her remarkable mid-to-late 70s incarnation with Charles Mingus, Pat Methany, and Jaco Pastorious. Starr’s angular, avant-garde electric guitar backdrop to the folksy torch song “Sing My Song” is reminiscent of Robert Fripp’s work with the The Roaches as two diametrically opposed genres sit perfectly well together - highly recommended for pop listeners who wish to stretch their musical horizons. --Tom Semioli [July 6, 2009]