Mara And The Bitter Suite - Unspoken

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Mara and the Bitter Suite – Unspoken
2012, Adam Waite & Mara DaviMara and theBitter Suite plays on the combined talents of Broadway actress/singer Mara Daviand composer/conductor Adam Waite.  Davihas graced the stages of the Great White Way in productions of The Drowsy Chaperone, A Chorus Line and White Christmas.  You might also have seen her playing BiancaSanfino in Blue Bloods.  Adam Waite is the Co-Artistic Director andResident Conductor for Lyrica Chamber Music. He’s worked with dozens of Broadway Casts as a musical supervisor, andserves as a Director for Broadway’s CarolsFor A Cure.  He’s also won severalASCAP awards for original compositions. The Tonawanda, NY native has been lauded by the L.A. times for his work,and has performed on Good Morning America,as well as at New York’s Birdland andat the opening Gala for the Walt DisneyConcert Hall.  The fact is that MaraDavi can flat out sing, and Adam Waite has an ability to craft arrangementsthat fit perfectly to her voice.

Unspoken unfurls with uncertain opening strains of "Solo", with astumbling guitar walking Davi along. On the second pass things become morecertain. It's a wonderfully artistic expression of finding oneself again on theother side of a relationship. The quiet strength that grows here is inspiring,wrapped as it is in an essential goodness that is palpable. "PlaygroundSong" uses hand rhythms and the unfettered dreams of youth to sketch out a carpe diemvision of the future. The arrangement is a perfect mix of simplicity andcomplexity, with Davi's voice bridging that gap in precarious and prettyfashion.

"Walking Thru Water" is built on a contemplative melancholy vaguely reminiscentof early REM. The difference, of course, is Davi's gorgeous voice full of quietaccusations and even quieter hopes. This number ends in ethereal folk fashion,with voices layering and creating beautiful echoes that are both there and notthere. "Hurricane" opens as part of an incessant if unobtrusive dancebeat but turns into a new age pop number. This is relatively unsatisfying evenin spite of Davi's voice.

"Clover And Clementine" finds Mara & The Bitter Suite at theirvery best in a song about personal heavens and perfect moments. The light, airyfeel of the song is sweet, and you could imagine this being a surprise hit oncommercial radio. On "Lighthouse", Mara and the Bitter Suite"delve into the lonely quiet of the heart of a woman whose love is at sea.Whether taken figuratively or literally this is a thing of beauty, and when Daviwails in her anguish toward the end, you can feel the unwinding of her heartstrings plucking one by one.

"Unspoken" is about the strings of memory that tie old flamestogether. In this case it's a shared melody that will never mean anything toanyone but them. This quiet meditation is aesthetically lovely but carries auniversal weight that is hard to ignore. On "Lay Your Battle Down", Davioffers up her edgiest vocal work of the album. The darkness here is underwrittenwith a gritty sort of hope, with beauty just a swipe of the hand away. Unspokencloses with "When I". If there has ever been such a thing as purepoetry on the form of a quiet pop song then this is it. Davi waxes poetic aboutmovie stars such as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. This is a tear jerker; amoment of utter aesthetic bliss brought to you by a flawless arrangement andthe angelic voice of Mara Davi.Mari Davi andAdam Waite would seem to be a perfect match, as evidenced by theircollaborations on Mara And The Bitter Suite’s Unspoken.  There are perhaps a couple of slowmoments but not a stumble is in evidence, and there’s a certain chemistrywithin the songs that speaks of connections that are deeply musical and borderingon spiritual.  Unspoken wants to be an alternative pop/rock experience, andmanages to get there but relies on some artfully theatrical songwriting.  Davi handles all of this with the aplomb of aseasoned veteran of the stage, and a voice that stops people in theirtracks.  All the while Waite is behindthe curtain pulling the musical strings that back her up.  The result is a brilliant mix of talents andsounds.  Unspoken is well off the beaten path, and very much worth the detour.Rating:  4.5 Stars (Out of 5)Learn more atwww.maradavi.com.