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What you will think of this album will depend, to some degree, on how you feel about new artists who sound very much like already established artists. There will be some who welcome the familiar sound with open arms and others who will consider the similarities to be nothing more than imitation. While the latter opinion would be overly harsh in this case, it would still be hard to escape the fact that Gileah does sound very much like Leigh Nash, formerly of Sixpence None the Richer. ...and Karin Bergquist, of Over the Rhine. ...and those Dupree girls from Eisley, who sound sort-of like ...Leigh Nash.

Get the picture?

Ok—so, now that the obvious vocal comparisons are out of the way, we can address the music; will the songs please fans of those bands that feature this particular vocal style? The problem is, when a vocalist strongly evokes thoughts of other successful artists, the music needs to establish something unique enough to create an identity that will stand out from among those other artists, or at least satisfy consumers who are looking to fill in the gaps between Over the Rhine releases. Whether or not Gileah achieves either goal on this CD will have to be determined by individual listeners—in this reviewer’s opinion, she touches each of those bases, but runs the risk of getting lost in the process.

The songs, all written by Gileah, are lyrically introspective and musically subdued, but stylish. There is an undeniably somber overall feeling to the project—many of the songs dealing with love lost, remorse, and similar themes. Gileah’s lyrics do hit the mark several times, as in the sixth track “Florida Sun”—“losing is in the air,” she sings, “and it’s rubbing off on me. I’ve been trying to look cool. But I’m sure I look naïve.” 

By the time we get to the eighth track (“Just”), it is a bit depressing to hear lyrics like, “I won’t be rid of my headache or my sadness today. Will I ever be rid of my backache? Everyday stress of the working life. Just let me sit. Just let me rest my weary eyes. Unclench my fists. …” To be fair, the song is a plea for the comfort and release of the one who will take her “to a new place,” but the preceding songs left me wishing she had gotten to that “new place” a little earlier in the album. 

The title track starts off the CD sounding as if you’re listening to an old vinyl LP—complete with scratches and pops— and then opens up into a nicely produced song about (drum roll, please) escaping a relationship. Gileah has a nice touch for melody and does know how to write a song that can stay with you after it’s over. Throughout the album, the instrumental work is sparse but tasteful, relying mostly on guitar (Chris Taylor), bass (Kevin Woerner and Taylor), additional vocals (Ava Quigley) and “everything else” by Gileah—“everything else’” being piano, percussion, lead vocals and “sounds.” Listen past the sound-alike aspect of Gileah’s voice and you’ll hear some ambitious vocal moments, like in “Say You Love Me Still,” where Gileah sings some lines double-tracked, an octave apart—nice touch! Some of the tracks could’ve been developed and opened up a bit more to expand the musical texture of the project. “C’mon C’mon” (track 9), for example, shows hints of Beatle-influence that could’ve been worked up into a more engaging performance of what is, essentially, a very good song that falls a bit short of its potential. The very spare production on _THE GOLDEN PLANES_ makes Over the Rhine’s _DRUNKARD’S PRAYER_ album sound like a party-mix. Yes, it’s quite somber. 

The albums ends with “For Things Beyond,” the first song that seems to reach past the subject of romantic relationships and gets into more spiritual territory. The strong, haunting melody easily gets under your skin while the lyrics acknowledge that there are things in this life that are beyond our finding out, that we really have no need to uncover every secret, and that, in the end, we’re left with “the chaos of love” and “the fury of life.” This repeating phrase is the last lyric on the album, which certainly was very much about love, but could have used more chaos and fury.

If you want a vocalist that sounds like Leigh Nash, but without the strong pop sensibility, a CD that might remind you of Eisley, but without the pop surrealism, or like Over the Rhine, but even more sparse and subdued, you might want to give Gileah’s _THE GOLDEN PLANES_ a try. You’ll hear some good songs, but don’t expect a party.

By Bert Saraco 3/5/2006

—Add a tock if a sound-alike vocalist doesn’t bother you.