Claudia Vorbach: Rainbows Of Your Love

For listeners of a certain age, this recording evokes memories of Melanie performing "Candles in the Rain." That was a long time ago—1970—and Melanie is no longer with us, but her influence is evident in Claudia Vorbach's stylings. There was a kind of cheerful irony in Melanie's work, a wink and a nod in "Brand New Key (The Roller Skate Song)" in 1971 that made people grin, especially if they were of a mind to try on roller skates.

Vorbach's material may seem bouncy, but it is music of loss: not at all sentimental, but to the point. Vorbach's life companion passed, and this is a tribute to and remembrance of him. Her manner is gentle and her harmonies are simple, but the message is powerful. Since Vorbach wrote and arranged her own material, it has a confessional quality, as on "Love is All There Is." Vorbach reminds us of the old saying, ars longa, vita brevis, that art outlives the artist but the "Music Is Still Around."

It is interesting that Vorbach, who lives in Tübingen, Germany, has got the folk-rock sound down so well long after its earliest exponents in the United States have passed from the scene. But, ultimately, it is not so much style as substance, Vorbach's private lyrics shared publicly, that make the recording work. Anyone can imitate, but life's experiences are what make for expression. And so one hears this recording, not complicated but heartfelt, and remembers that our experiences may be ordinary, not necessarily unique, but the basis of any worthwhile art. Some emotions are indeed universal and Vorbach's music is a fitting language for them.

"I cannot come home to you. You're not around anymore."

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