phil angotti. juliette foster. review by alan haber. buhdge

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Juliette Foster Phil Angotti JAM (2004) Phil Angotti, who usually makes music with his group the Idea, has created an intimate work that sounds just about right for a small group surrounding the artist and his guitar. Phil calls Juliette Foster an original soundtrack, which is completely apropos given the album's widescreen story sensibilities. The story's prologue, outlined in the CD booklet and set to music in the title song, sets up Angotti's tale, that of a man in his twenties, haunted by a girl he'd first met when they were both children. Choosing not to say hello to her when he finally sees her as an adult, he continues to live with the image of her shining brightly within him. Would he see her again? Performed mostly by Angotti with (mostly acoustic) guitars and bass, and a dash of organ, cello and viola to sweeten the mix, Juliette Foster is a record plucked sweetly out of time for listeners used to more fleshed-out arrangements and slick production. Working squarely in singer-songwriter territory, Angotti reinvents himself as a modern-day troubadour, communicating emotions by the pound and telling a story for the ages, with a few guest side folks, including Epicycle's Ellis Clark. The album leads off with the gorgeous title track, a song equal parts folk and rock, underpinned by a delicate, classically-imagined string arrangement, a jumping off point for the rest of the story. In "The Hours," the man imagines feeling the power of the moment, being the proverbial man of the hour. Is he pining for a connection with the girl? He's hopeful, and the sweet harmony at the end of the song confirms it. The man flirts with judgment and change in the lovely "No Way to Be." And in "Julie's Song," sort of a personalized state of the union address with a bouncy country beat, the man assesses his vision of Juliette. The rest of the songs on Juliette Foster continue to flesh out the emotional center of the story, as do the three instrumentals that neatly sum up the feelings expressed in the vocal numbers. Throughout, Angotti's expert acoustic work shines, and his vocals, tender and expressive, are quite breathtaking. As the instrumental version of the title song plays out to a cold end, you wonder where the story goes next, or if there is a next at all, for Angotti doesn't answer all of the questions his tale suggests. It is left up to the listener to fill in the blanks and imagine, to envision the ending, satisfying or not. It has been said that good writing amounts more to knowing what to leave out, rather than what to put in. Even better, Angotti has found the middle ground, and nestled into it a heartfelt song cycle that will make the elusive Juliette Foster hard to forget. Alan Haber February 10, 2005
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Juliette Foster
Phil Angotti
JAM (2004)

phil angotti's juliette foster Phil Angotti, who usually makes music with his group the Idea, has created an intimate work that sounds just about right for a small group surrounding the artist and his guitar. Phil calls Juliette Foster an original soundtrack, which is completely apropos given the album's widescreen story sensibilities.

The story's prologue, outlined in the CD booklet and set to music in the title song, sets up Angotti's tale, that of a man in his twenties, haunted by a girl he'd first met when they were both children. Choosing not to say hello to her when he finally sees her as an adult, he continues to live with the image of her shining brightly within him. Would he see her again?

Performed mostly by Angotti with (mostly acoustic) guitars and bass, and a dash of organ, cello and viola to sweeten the mix, Juliette Foster is a record plucked sweetly out of time for listeners used to more fleshed-out arrangements and slick production. Working squarely in singer-songwriter territory, Angotti reinvents himself as a modern-day troubadour, communicating emotions by the pound and telling a story for the ages, with a few guest side folks, including Epicycle's Ellis Clark.

The album leads off with the gorgeous title track, a song equal parts folk and rock, underpinned by a delicate, classically-imagined string arrangement, a jumping off point for the rest of the story. In "The Hours," the man imagines feeling the power of the moment, being the proverbial man of the hour. Is he pining for a connection with the girl? He's hopeful, and the sweet harmony at the end of the song confirms it. The man flirts with judgment and change in the lovely "No Way to Be." And in "Julie's Song," sort of a personalized state of the union address with a bouncy country beat, the man assesses his vision of Juliette.

The rest of the songs on Juliette Foster continue to flesh out the emotional center of the story, as do the three instrumentals that neatly sum up the feelings expressed in the vocal numbers. Throughout, Angotti's expert acoustic work shines, and his vocals, tender and expressive, are quite breathtaking.

As the instrumental version of the title song plays out to a cold end, you wonder where the story goes next, or if there is a next at all, for Angotti doesn't answer all of the questions his tale suggests. It is left up to the listener to fill in the blanks and imagine, to envision the ending, satisfying or not.

It has been said that good writing amounts more to knowing what to leave out, rather than what to put in. Even better, Angotti has found the middle ground, and nestled into it a heartfelt song cycle that will make the elusive Juliette Foster hard to forget.

Alan Haber
February 10, 2005