Scarlet Rivera’s All of Me EP adds her voice to her violin; we are richer for it.
I interviewed Scarlet Rivera recently on my radio show because I loved her songs and what she can do with her red hot violin. Rivera opened the door for strings in rock and roll and has played with the likes of Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Indigo Girls, and many others. Now she has come out with an EP that puts her smoky, catch-in-the-throat voice front and center. The All of Me EP, to be released later this month, is a gift of 6 songs, each of which hits you in the gut and kidnaps your ears. Rivera shows she far more than a fabulous rock and roll violinist, but a down and dirty blues rock singer who grabs you with lyrics, ties you up with catgut, and leave you sweating bullets.
Rivera gets real funky countrylike with “50/50”, a strong statement of female power and what a relationship has to be to work for her and what happens when it doesn’t: “that ain’t 50/50 and that’s a cryin’ shame. One of the most powerful displays of her violin virtuoso supporting her voice is “Sacred Wheel”, a ballad that opens her heart and sails. She wraps up the EP with “Songbird”, a slow tempo piece of musical poetry that weaves a complex tapestry of violin, guitar, and lyrics.
Rivera has played with the best but always held her voice in check. Now that she has released an EP with her at the microphone as well as on the strings, we can see and hear what full-spectrum talent she is. Her voice is strong and definitive; when she sings “I’m not your property, I ‘m not your slave” in “50/50” she means it. The voice is feminine, but solid – a voice that she deftly modulates for each song, always feminine but always upfront, one reason why All of Me works so well. Adding her voice to her violin is long overdue and I for one am very happy Scarlet Rivera finally took the leap.
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