I can understand how this CD went unnoticed in Canada, since Hamilton is curiously famous for keeping most of its musical treasures under a dark cloak of secrecy (and in some cases that is the artist's preference). Or, perhaps, it�s just that the town itself suffers from national neglect. Nevertheless, I think it�s a damn shame that a performing artist this brilliant has been left to wallow in the pits of obscurity. Somebody give this woman a recording contract, immediately!
Andrea�s still got it all going for her, too � a quietly unassuming personality but with a forthright, beautiful voice (along the lines of Jane Siberry and Sinead O�Connor) and a well- developed sense of rhythmic variation. Her socially-conscious and brutally honest lyrics addressing physical and sexual abuse and drug addiction belie the fact that she was in her early 20s when she recorded this CD.
On Bender, she was also successful in enlisting the talents of numerous players from the cream of the crop of Hamilton�s musical community � Ray Farrugia, Tone Valcic, Steve Sinnicks, Shawn Brush, Ron Elliott, Colin Cripps, Grant Marshall, Tim Gibbons, Mike Daley, etc., as well as an excellent brass section on the opening track, �Dirty Old Man�, in the form of Jason Frederick and Scott Nielson. Dan Achen, Glen Marshall and Paul Intson did a swell job on the production aspects, too!
There�s not one track on this CD of all-original compositions that I could find fault with, and, indeed, I have listened to it effortlessly many times and still can�t decide which ones are my favourites. Simply put, I love them all! Although her page at Soundclick.com lists her music as �acoustic folk�, it incorporates elements of ambient rock, funk, jazz and rhythm and blues, as well. If you were smart enough to scoop up a copy of Bender, I�d advise you to hold on to it. Eventually, Andrea Lake will get the exposure she needs to take her to the top.
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