Rhiannon, Joey Blake and David Worm are veterans of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, and have been involved in the quest to determine how far the human voice can go, individually and with other voices. "World Tour 2007" is an amazing live recording of WeBe3's performance at the Vic in Santa Monica, with Rhiannon mostly singing the leads, Blake adding yummy deep bass lines and Worm making sounds very much like a man playing a drum set. There are 10 cuts, "The Wind," "Ascona Sky," the exotic "Istanbul Blue," "Zingahlae," with Joey taking the lead, the finger-snapping, stream-of-feline-consciousness "Dear Cats," "WeBe3," "Time Goes By," a worthy attempt to describe the experience of living in 3 ½ minutes, "Spontaneous Swing," the crazed "Serbian Taxi Ride" and "Let It Be So." Each of these 3 ½ to 7 minute pieces is at once funny, joyous, unexpected, liberating and amazing. "World Tour 2007" is a pair of top-drawer vocalists and a sublime vocal percussionist going off in the direction of the standing bass- and snare drum-accompanied beat poets at San Francisco coffee houses, but on a whole other level musically and improvisationally. "Live and Improvised" is surprising and delightful from the first cut to the last! |
