Liz Davinci’s new album ‘Fata Morgana’ is an absolute delight and one of those great albums where you need to listen from start to finish and not feel the need to miss a song. Is Liz Davinci a descendant of Leonardo? I don’t know, but he is certainly a very talented artist. The album opens with the latest single “Pain Relief” which I reviewed a few weeks ago and said that “The song is beautiful and almost baroque in its construction. I love the way Liz isn’t afraid to use spaces between notesand after listening to it many times since, I stand by that statement! “Mirage”, like most of the album features Liz’s stunning vocal style backed only by her classic keyboard tunes. Lyrically she weaves beautiful stories reminiscent of Kate Bush. Has there ever been a song about the journey of a coin? I’m not sure but with Liz Davinci’s “One Silver Dollar” now in existence, it definitely has some influence from Ms. Bush but despite not having the full Mael Brothers attack it reminds me of the more mellow moments of Sparks canon, especially “Never Deflect Mother Earth”. If you’ve been looking for the dark summer anthem, check out the lovely “Cherry July”. Davinci’s voice here is innocent, open, yet incredibly passionate at the same time. I love songs that are wished for or wished for travel notes and “Another Lollipop” is one of them. How many songs fit the lyrics about working on laptops and dropping albums and also managing to give a verbal tour of Europe? None until now! “I’m Through With Love” has the feel of an epic 1970s ballad that Lynsey de Paul might have composed had he decided to go a less pop route.
The previous single “Purple Jesters” is currently my favorite song from the album. That sums up everything that’s great about Liz Davinci. Great hooks, great harmonic vocals, content keys to explore and expose open spaces, and a very crisp and clear production. It has a mid-century jazz feel like the Tudor period that Steely Dan might have created. “Interlude – March 24” is so oddly worded that it feels like it was taken straight from the pages of Liz’s diary, is it about lost love or unrequited love? I don’t know but I love its romantic uniqueness. Liz channels the quiet, less manic moments of Lene Lovich in “Fly On The Wall.” I’ve never been a big fan of musicals or cabaret, but “After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It” feels like a leap forward from the kind of stage musical that even I like, and I’m not a big fan of the genre. I can feel Sparks in the words here and Marcella Detroit in her voice. Perhaps one of the coolest songs in the collection is “Body Lines”, although it does have a dark, menacing musical motif towards the end. If Kate Bush ever wrote a song with Leo Sayer, it might sound like “Dixie Theatre.” It has the Baroque Bop feel of some of the previous songs and exudes an uncanny Liz Davinci idiocy. The album closes on an emotional note on “End Of The Sea” which seems to be drawn from the deepest recesses of Davinci’s mind with a voice that evokes memories of Suzanne Vega for me. This isn’t Liz Davinci’s first album and I hope it won’t be the last. But it will always be one of the best and definitely a contender for Album of the Year 2023! Get some Liz Davinci in your life now, you won’t regret it. I hope we get to see Liz play a few dates in England sometime and I’m also looking forward to interviewing her soon, so watch out!
RENEW – My music education continues. There are actually three covers in this gorgeous collection, all three of which are sung by Marilyn Monroe and one was actually written by her as well. Liz Davinci provided me with this information soon after I posted this review. I want to make it clear that Liz has made this cover herself! “One Silver Dollar” was written by Marilyn Monroe, “I’m Through With Love” by Fud Livingston, Gus Khan, and Matty Malneck, and “After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It” by Irving Berlin. I’m so happy that I can still learn something new every day!
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