Fantastic soulful voice
Sally Edwards | London, UK | 03/31/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have to admit that I'm not a great folk fan but this album could convert me. Terry Gonda has a pure smoky voice not too dissimilar to Eva Cassidy crossed with Karen Carpenter. This is a wonderful mixture of torch songs, blues and folk and the standout track on the album has to be her cover of "When you wish upon a star" segued into "Somone to Watch Over Me" - like Somewhere over the Rainbow on the Songbird album, this stands out as a beautiful and original cover. Other favourites are If I Needed You and Lines on My Finger - a truly heartbreaking song. Terry manages to fill each song with emotion - you can hear when she's smiling as she sings and it makes this album an emotional journey.She's an undiscovered gem who deserves to be brought into the public eye. I totally recommend this...."
Exquisite and Sublime
Chris Rennie | Detroit, Michigan | 08/31/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To try to review "Love, Lose, Repeat" by Terry Gonda is a difficult thing to attempt in the few short lines available here. It is an expansive album in genre, mood, musicianship, and character, and it is pure pleasure from the first track to the last.
I believe Terry Gonda has one of the finest voices I have heard in my eclectic musical collection. In a time where so many female singers voice their music as variations on a theme, her voice is singularly unique in its power, its depth, its range, and its versatility. Her voice is tonally beautiful and rich in expression; her soundscape compliments it in every way. Across the range of songs and styles on this album, you feel genuine emotion and soul in each lyric sung, and you find yourself skipping back at the end of tracks only to hear it again.
The songs chosen for the album are wide ranging in style and substance, though none could be characterized as without depth. Some feel lighter but not without meaning; others are filled with a beauty that makes you feel you are living them. Other have commented on the richness of the cover of "When You Wish Upon a Star/ Someone to Watch Over Me," and it is noteworthy to say the least. It is also worth mentioning that she also chose to cover "Both Sides Now," a Joni Mitchell standard that many a lesser performer would be a bit afraid to try. Gonda brings a staggering level of emotion and tenderness to the song that (at the risk of sounding sacrilegious to other Joni Mitchell fans) moves me in ways more powerfully than the original.
The song choices from other songwriters are perhaps less instantly recognizably but no less powerfully owned by Gonda. "If I Needed You" is brought to a wonderful life in a duet with great flavor and character. "Home Again" is one of the most beautiful expressions of love in song, and Gonda's voice carries it beautifully. Gonda's own songs, such as "Calls You," the exquisite "Jean," "Lines on My Finger," and "Busy" only make you wish for a double album which features more of her own pen. She is a studied songwriter, and her poetry in lyric is delightful and quick. From the hopefulness of "Calls You" to the heartbreak of "Lines," she writes with a distinct and singular power, and a classic folk song ability to pull you into the song in the first few lines.
Thematically, the songs on the album are linked by different facets of love, different poetic expressions of the same word, the same idea. I can think of no better word to describe how a listener feels for this album after the last track plays.
"
Terry blows me away...
motorgrrl | Harper Woods, MI | 04/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've heard this album develop over the years and Terry has hit it spot on this time. Calls you and Home again are my two favorites. I think it can be said that love overcomes all things is the theme of this album. I guarantee if you buy this album you will fall in love with Terry's voice and it'll leave you wanting more."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1