LISA OSTROW: Unconditional

Lisa Ostrow

Unconditional

© 2007 Lisa Ostrow (837101444170)

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A dynamic mix of playful jazz, soothing ballads and haunting theatrical gems.

tracks

1 Anything Can Happen Introduction
2 Once Upon A Time
3 And So Much More
4 Don't Ask Me Why
5 Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)
6 Missing You (My Bill)
7 How Could I Ever Know
8 When You Tell Me That You Love Me
9 Is This Any Way To Fall In Love
10 I'll Forget You
11 Maybe I Like It This Way
12 Unusual Way
13 I Will Never Leave You
14 Nothing Like You've Ever Known
15 Anything Can Happen
16 If I Had My Way

notes

Proceeds from "Unconditional" will benefit the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation.

With a music-filled childhood and substantial performing pedigree, Lisa Ostrow has created her own unique sound, with her solo debut album, "Unconditional." A dynamic mix of playful jazz, soothing ballads and haunting theatrical gems, this recording holds great promise for a unique and refreshing new artist.

Totally blind since birth, Ostrow grew up surrounded by the harmonies of professional musicians, and displayed both talent and poise even in childhood as a singer and pianist. As an adult, her special artistry migrated to a focus on vocal performance, as evidenced by the polished, nuanced work in "Unconditional," which was co-produced with Ostrow’s arranger and sound engineer, Patrick Dreier, for Out of the Blue Records.

"Unconditional" includes backing vocals on two of the tracks, provided by Lisa’s husband and children and Dreier and his daughters, all performers from a variety of disciplines, in addition to contributions from a number of exceptional Boston and Rhode Island-area professional musicians. A preliminary release of the first track, “Once Upon A Time,” was featured on the National Federation of the Blind, Performing Arts Division’s first CD release in July 2007, entitled "Sound in Sight," and was selected from a nationwide call for submissions.

To find out more about Lisa Ostrow, please visit her official website.



BIOGRAPHY

It was long ago that Lisa Ostrow stopped counting the occasions when she had to patiently explain, “Yes, I can do that,” subsequently reaching milestones others assumed insurmountable: "A blind person can’t hike the rugged 45-mile West Coast Trail.” “Harvard’s Russian Department has never graduated a blind student.” “How could you possibly enjoy an African safari?” Perceived barriers are not Lisa’s concern. She enriches her life, family, and friends on her own terms, and through her music.

Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Canadian parents, Lisa has dual US/Canadian citizenship. She lived in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Columbia before going on to college in Boston, where she has remained since 1984, raising a family of her own. Today she is a full-time mother and active performing artist, proud to be releasing her first album, Unconditional.

Music was destined to play a significant role in Lisa’s life journey. Her father spent 35 years in the Canadian Armed Forces Music Branch, first as a clarinetist and eventually retired as a Major at the peak of his musical career. At the age of seven Lisa began the study of piano, and at ten pursued intensive training with the Royal Conservatory of Music, advancing through their rigorous program at an accelerated pace. During this time she performed in a wide variety of live venues and television broadcasts, winning awards and recognition throughout the maritime provinces and western Canada. After having been accepted to Harvard, where she earned a cum laude degree in Slavic Languages and Literatures, she became the first member of her family to graduate from college. Musically, her focus in college migrated to vocal performance. She was a member of the renowned Harvard Collegium Musicum chorus and was a featured soloist in Boston's Symphony Hall. With the a cappella group, the Radcliffe Pitches, Lisa performed in a wide variety of venues, including a tour in Bermuda. She also fronted a "Top 40" dance band, and made a guest appearance as the featured soloist with the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific at the Royal Theater in Victoria, British Columbia.

After college, Lisa married and settled in the Boston area, managing production at the National Braille Press until 1994, when her second child turned out to be twins. Full-time motherhood beckoned, and ever since she has nurtured the wide array of vocal, instrumental, drama, and dance pursuits of her three daughters. This next generation of talent has thus far performed in Disney World and at Boston's Colonial Theater with the national Broadway tour of "Evita." Lisa continues to appear in regional theater productions, primarily as a vocalist in genres ranging from Gilbert & Sullivan to Christmas-season jazz.

"Unconditional" is literally a labor of love, with backing vocals provided by Lisa's husband and her three children. Lisa's arranger and co-producer, Patrick Dreier, also contributed additional instrumental support and vocals, along with those of his own daughters. This 16-track collection includes a variety of Lisa's unique musical stylings, with instrumentals by many exceptional musicians from Boston and Rhode Island.

reviews

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  • Unconditional
    author: Kris Tronerud

    Unconditional • Lisa Ostrow • Blue Records Whenever I’m given something... any piece of art, music, or whatever... from somebody in my circle of friends, it’s a double edged sword - I could be turned onto some great new something I wasn’t aware of before - or I could be receiving something I’m not going to like, and I end up having to find a polite way of not saying I hated it. In the case of Lisa Ostrow’s Unconditional, I needn’t have worried. Even after my initial positive reaction, I put it down for awhile, just in case I was not being entirely objective. When I listened again, I liked it even more. Make no mistake, Ms. Ostrow is, as they say, a talent to reckon with. Take note: your reviewer is a 60’s kinda guy, most often disposed to classic rock and renegade Indie, so when I tell you the following, you may take it that I was thoroughly surprised, disarmed, and won over by Unconditional. As a point of reference, think: the clarity and focus of early Julie Andrews filtered through the purity of voice of Joan Baez, with a smattering of Oasis era Maria Muldaur channeling very early Marianne Faithfull, with a healthy dose of... well, Lisa Ostrow; as she takes these various influences (and probably others) and makes of them something distinctly her own. Ms Ostrow’s particular gift (aside from that spring water clear voice, of course) is that rare abilty to take strong, heartfelt emotion, and, instead of ramming it down our throats, coax us into her world, letting the songs speak for themselves. In Ostrow’s world, the song is king, and that makes us listen, (what a joy to have the words matter again) and care. In the service of that goal, it must be said that Ostrow is one of those rare performers who have a direct connection from their heart to their instrument: no filters, guile or pretension; that instrument being the aforementioned, and, in the very best possible sense, sweet voice. The music is almost uniformly delightful. After a brief tease of Anything can Happen, Unconditional gets its only clunker out of the way, the Vegas-y Once Upon a Time, which strains to little effect. After that though, Unconditional just keeps getting better and better. As soon as everyone steps back and lets Ostrow loose on the songs, she skates across Patrick Dreier’s spare, elegant production and Scott Nicholas’s rich piano accompaniment with an effortless songcraft that seems both confident and oddly humble. Lisa Ostrow has a thing for the music of Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn, and delivers a brace of Wildhorn’s best, which form the core of Unconditional, and, quite frankly, have never sounded better. From the simple and heartfelt And So Much More, to the sexy bounce of Don’t Ask Me Why, to the swingin’, and downright funny Is This Any Way To Fall In Love, Ostrow brings out the subversively simple and seductive structure and lyrical candor of Wildhorn’s best work, and makes it her own. And, in her hands, I’ll Forget You takes its place alongside I Get Along Without You Very Well in the short list of great breakup songs. Even when Unconditional veers perilously close to Celine territory (the vaguely overbearing When You Tell Me That You Love Me), Ostrow’s plain dealing honesty of presentation carries us through the rough spots, bringing the album through the chilling Maybe I Like it That Way, and the sensual Unusual Way, winding up with the full version of Anything Can Happen and the quietly upbeat If I Had My Way. Key in that journey is the consistently first-rate musicianship on Unconditional; special mention going to Don Krishnaswami’s gorgeous strings on Lullabye, and Michael Digidio’s smoky sax curling its way around And So Much More and I’ll Forget you. So, if you’re in the mood for bombast, posturing and fakey hip, look elsewhere... If you’re looking to be gently invited into a place where sadness and loss are looked straight in the face and overcome, and where optimism and hope are earned honestly and seem unfashionably non-icky, then pick up on Unconditional. You heard it here first.

  • author: John Fradley

    buy this music simply because it is flawless.

  • Unconditional
    author: Jan Gullberg

    As a professional musician, I want to acknowledge the thrill I got from listening to "Unconditional". I especially loved "Don't Ask Me Why" and "Is This Any Way To Fall In Love". Her unique interpretations are like a breath of fresh air and her intonation is flawless. The "changes" in the selections were especially interesting. I eagerly look forward to her next CD. Jan Gullberg

  • soft, sweet, and it sees so much!
    author: Ken Lawrence

    This writer started to write Lisa after the sound in site CD was released, and as a member of the performing arts division list on the national federation of the blind BBS, and as someone who plans to join the division my self best way I can put it is this is music from a blind person yet she and it see so much. if you don't believe me, just buy it and listen to it. think, WMJX magic in Boston is missing on an exceptional talent that may qualify for there sunday exceptional women show as well as airplay on the station.

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