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Amy Loftus, Fireworks, 2008 (Appletree, Indie)
Amy Loftus is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter who has teamed up once again with producer/songwriter/guitarist Will Kimbrough on her new 6-song EP called Fireworks, her third official release. Kimbrough co-produced along with John Deaderick, Lij, and Loftus, and he co-wrote two of the six tracks on Fireworks. Loftus has a soft feminine voice reminiscent of Nanci Griffith, only a bit more coquetish. She and her team of producers have put together a solid folk-pop record that seems aimed more toward television and film spots than it does toward radio. Tracks two, three, and four are the strongest, and all portray stereotypical romantic longings. In track two, "Notion," Loftus pines for her lover in the chorus, "It's a notion born in natural motion, pulling me to you/It's a notion, baby strong as the ocean, pulling me like tide toward you." And track three, "Cavalier," places Loftus in the role of heart-broken lover as she sings, "I'm doing my best, cavalier/when I open my arms, and stand right here...." The combination of Loftus' pining emotional delivery, coquetish vocal charm, and archetypal relationship roles are a winning combination for television and film placement. Track four, "Lifetime Supply," co-written with Will Kimbrough, with its more traditional song structure, has a chance at radio. But although Kimbrough's guitars are de-emphasized and tasteful throughout the record, serving to compliment the vocals rather than compete with them, "Lifetime Supply" would have profited from an edgier guitar track—doesn't anyone believe in a guitar solo anymore? The title track, which happens to be track one, is the downfall of this record, and because there are four producers, I'm not sure who's to blame. The chorus on "Fireworks" is sung (written?) in a range that's quite obviously too high for Loftus, and she struggles to hit the notes. Even worse, the song itself sounds like a bad Tori Amos impersonation with its piano/kick drum intro—not at all the way an artist of Amy Loftus' caliber should begin a record. Still, the song will no doubt be a favorite among single women due to the subject-matter—bad blind dates. But it would have been wise to re-record the vocal track on this one, or dump the song from the record altogether. Regardless of the disappointing first track, Amy Loftus and her team have created a good record that seems to be aimed at television and film placement—and she will no doubt find success in this medium. The irony here is that Loftus is a trained actor who spent years in Hollywood pursuing an acting career prior to moving to Nashville. — Vincent Wynne, January 20, 2008
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