Lisa Hogan Goes the Other Way, March 24, 2002
Reviewer: george@gagorder.com (see more about me) from New York, NY United States

The beautiful, intriguing, and evocative artist, Lisa Hogan, takes the less travelled path. To the benefit of her debut CD and to those who have the golden opportunity to listen, I, for one, am glad that Lisa follows a different muse and continuously strives to look the other way. The CD fades in and fades out with the title track making for nice bookends to a library of a treasury of wonderful songs, all penned by Hogan. The title track casts her in the role of a New York observer as she sings about hindsight and doubt as a steady guitar wash supplies a slow driving beat. Lisa's crystalline, unaffected voice works as a wonderful counterpart. Lisa's influences seem to be cultivated from somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic, as she seems to eschew her stateside roots.

The second track "My Friends Call Me Rae" throws a curve early into the mix with its brassy pop sound reflecting the brassiness of standing up for oneself. The track recalls images of Simply Red and Lisa Stansfield. However, Lisa quickly gets back to her forte with one of the top tracks of the CD, "I Don't Think." The song is a moody, yet edgy, sensuous lament that leaves you swaying with its undulating gothic feel. There are times when I listen to this track that I find myself comparing Lisa to Sara McLachlan, Kate Bush or k.d. lang in her "Constant Craving" phase.

On "I Go Down" we find two different songs gently sparring with each other. One song comes to the table with its little funky groove, sort of like Bill Withers' "Use Me Up," while the other song is a haunting ballad with a luscious hook. Just as you're figuring it all out, in comes a smoky trumpet solo to further stimulate your senses. There might have been a kitchen sink used in the piece, but I'm not sure at this point. Hogan, then takes another welcome departure as she paints a melancholy canvas with "I Say Nothing." The track starts with chant-like vocals and a haunting piano track that is dark and brittle, but still exudes warmth to a subject matter that leaves one cold and alone in a relationship that will never work. Lisa follows with a modern rock madrigal called "Lost" that features a nice twist at the end. Another favorite song of mine follows featuring an addictive, relentless beat that just can't let go. However, the highlight of "Me and My Jones" are the inflections in Lisa's vocal delivery, that should convince people that not only is she a great writer, she is a standout chanteuse.

Before the album closes out, Lisa offers a low-fi ballad called "Mikey" where she seems to offer friendly or sisterly advice to a loved one to go out and find another girl. This is also good advice, if you're looking for something different and original. You need not look any further than Lisa Hogan's debut CD. You'll be glad that you took a chance to look the other way.