Ingrid Chavez wears indie well

photography courtesy of ingridchavez.com

Over the years, Ingrid Chavez has been known as a Prince protege for her 1992 Paisley Park/Warner Bros. album and co-starring role in the film Graffiti Bridge,  as collaborator and ex-wife of David Sylvian or to some as the songwriter of Madonna's funky, sensual and controversial hit 'Justify My Love'.

Such obscure references however, may soon be a thing of the past.  Ingrid's new record, A Flutter and Some Words is set for release next month and is sure to put her in a new and more relevant light.  While Ingrid has made guest appearances on a number of albums including those from electronica artist PC Munez and the aforementioned Sylvian, she has spent many of those "missing" years as a full-time mom.

Several years ago, muse unleashed, Ingrid began working on new music which quickly flowed together to form the foundations of the album A Flutter and Some Words.  Leaving much of the trappings of her previous more pop-oriented collaborations and production behind, A Flutter and Some Words finds Ingrid's gentle melodies and sage-like whispers at home in a far more organic setting.

Combining an eclectic mix of delicate acoustic guitars, exotic string and wind instruments with rich atmospheric and bubbling electronic soundscapes, Ingrid's artistic voice is clearer than ever.  A Flutter and Some Words reflects influences as diverse as singer-songwriters Iron and Wine on songs like 'Mine' or soul singer Maxwell on 'Terrible Woman'.  That being said, there is nothing dated or disjointed about this record.  With the aid of Italian collaborators (master engineer Alessandro Mazzitelli and multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Scopelliti) and a small group of outstanding musicians from across the globe, Ingrid's latest effort shows remarkable cohesiveness.  This is an album in the classic and timeless sense, a world unto itself.

Her website www.ingridchavez.com, which features a beautiful new music video for the albums first single 'By The Water' as well as the opportunity to purchase the song in mp3 or flac formats (for all you audiophiles out there), suggests there is a lot more on the way from Chavez.  

By The Water from Ingrid Chavez on Vimeo.

'By The Water' and the rest of the songs on A Flutter and Some Words are a testament to the fact that more often then not, the best music is created when an artist is free to create.

As the indie music world allows artists to pursue their art unfiltered and at their own pace, we may find more and more formerly major label artists testing the waters. Til then...

Live Well & Listen Closely,

J. Hayes