Barbara Ester

1.                 HEARTSONGS   -   Reviewed by Phyllis Free 

                Cozy up and warm your lesbian soul with HEARTSONGS, an album of "reflective acoustic music created especially for our friends," by Barbara Ester and Beth York. 

           Released in 2008 by Music for Lesbians, HEARTSONGS takes us on a journey of affirmation—celebrating our lesbian lives, loves, and culture in community. 

          We begin by riding the gentle waves of ambient percussion and undulating guitar rhythms into the deep, rich texture of Ester's voice chanting her "Incantation."  Then York's lyrical piano lifts us up and brings us to rest on the shore of Ester's "Ancient Wisdoms." Soon we are dancing, skipping, and singing along to the familiar refrains of songwriter Bairbre's "We Are Everywhere," followed by Alix Dobkin's seminal celebration of woman's love in "Her Precious Love."   The kindling of sensuality is then fanned into flame by the deft interplay of Latin-nuanced guitar rhythms and plaintive harmonica melodies accompanying Ester's voice on Bairbre's "Dance With Me," reminding us to move with the heat of our bodies while listening to warm our souls.   

     Ah, but no journey is complete without plumbing the depths—of loss and grief, fear, loneliness, and introspection.  Reflecting our need for connection, York's "Hurricane," Ester's "Our Lives Touch," and Bairbre's "My Song" bring us back home to ourselves and each other in the journey toward healing and self-empowerment.  The improvised instrumental "Modal Musing" is the balm which soothes and nurtures our souls, with Ester's tenor recorder evoking the healing spirit of Native-American flute sounds combined with the raindrops and gentle washes and swells of York's piano. 

 Moving on to the title track, the piano climbs like the mountains and flows "as the river flows," in Ester's "Heartsong," which opens us to changes, seeking new directions as we follow our heart's longings.    

                Finally the voices come together, as Ester and York exchange verses and weave their harmonies together in celebration of the love "So Familiar" to those of us who have opened our lives and hearts to each other through the years.  The quick and glorious moments of scat-inspired vocal stylings on this track are wonderfully familiar to this listener, reminiscent of York's early work when she and I performed together as members of the Atlanta-based lesbian band, Anima Rising, in the late 1970's.  The instrumental  "In Joy" returns us to Beth York's improvisational piano roots, evoking lasting memories of her debut album Transformations, produced by Ladyslipper Music in 1985.  With that in mind, "In Joy" becomes a testament to healing and growth, longevity and maturity.  

     Our musical journey comes to a close with Ester's  poignant delivery of  York's "Remember" as a blessing to us all.   With that, dear sisters, HEARTSONGS will remain as a beautifully produced and heartfelt reminder of how we spiral back to our roots and our bonds of connection, time and time again, to see, hear, and remember how far we have come.  Snuggle into each other, listen, and enjoy the journey.  

—Phyllis Free, Drummer On-Call

   Swainsboro, Georgia