Bird York’s explanation of how she approached recording her major label debut, Wicked Little High, is telling. Rather than succumb to the standard pressure to produce an album with alternating tempos and moods, York thought about how often she chooses music from her own CD collection that is "dialed in" to heighten a particular mood. “A ‘make out’ CD is a ‘must have’,” she says, “so I did my best to create an intelligent version of one.”
Wicked Little High sets a sultry tone while showcasing some uniquely beautiful songs. York has a fascinating voice, husky with a lilt, and an excellent range. It’s the perfect sound for her lyrics, such as those of the great title song, in which she joneses for a lover who is emotionally out-of-reach.
Other standout cuts include “Had a Dream”, “Freedom”, and a laid-back version of the old Sam & Dave tune, “Hold On, I’m Comin’”. If you’ve seen the movie Crash, you’ve already heard York’s lovely ballad, the 2006 Academy Award-nominated “In The Deep”. It’s also on this CD.
In terms of “ear candy”, Wicked Little High is definitely Godiva chocolate — a swirling, richly textured blend of techno/organic fun. Multi-layered acoustic and electric guitars slide, jangle, moan, soar, funk-ify, psychedelicize, and otherwise create space for York’s vocals to fill. There were heavyweights on the sessions, including producer/engineer/multi-instrumentalist/programmer Larry Klein (Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Kenny Loggins, Tracy Chapman), and Larry Hirsch, recording engineer for the likes of Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, and Los Lobos.
Guitarist Rick Musallam of the Mike Keneally Band plays on the title cut and on “Had a Dream”, which he co-wrote.
Apparently, York’s creative energy can’t be contained by a single artistic discipline. She also acts, having appeared on NBC’s The West Wing and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. (Check her website for an extensive list of acting credits and news of her other writing projects.) But music obviously is a unifying force for her. In the last line of her bio, she refers to discovering it as her “new religion.”
Amen.
— Andy Robinson
Bird York’s explanation of how she approached recording her major label debut, Wicked Little High, is telling. Rather than succumb to the standard pressure to produce an album with alternating tempos and moods, York thought about how often she chooses music from her own CD collection that is "dialed in" to heighten a particular mood. “A ‘make out’ CD is a ‘must have’,” she says, “so I did my best to create an intelligent version of one.”