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Krista Detor

Maverick Magazine 5-Star Review of Flat Earth

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

by Arthur Wood

Krista Detor FLAT EARTH DIARY Tightrope Records

5 out of 5 Stars!

Detor’s magnificent FLAT EARTH DIARY delivers a wealth of image rich word tapestries.

FLAT EARTH DIARY achieved fruition when Indiana based Detor and friends embarked
on  a  summer  2013  boat  trip  to  the  North Channel  of  Lake Huron.  A  handful  of  songs
completed, their  common  thread  was  evading Krista.  The  album press release reveals
“As  she  sat  on  the water, with  no  land  in  sight,  it  occurred  to  her  that we  humans  are
unbelievably  adaptable.”  For  century’s  mankind  believed  the  world  was  flat,  now  we
accept  that  it’s  spherical.  That  doesn’t,  however,  preclude  the  nagging  question  “Is
perception  reality?”  Wonsook  Kim’s  liner  artwork  witnesses  a  woman  test  reality  by
plunging from land into the starry blue yonder!

Produced by David Weber and recorded at his Airtime Studio north of Bloomington, the
eclectic  coterie  of  local  contributors  include  John  Prine’s  guitarist  Jason  Wilber,
husband/wife  Tim  Moore  (percussion)  and  Dena  El­Saffar  (violin)  from  seven­piece
Salaam,  17­year­old  wunderkind  violinist  Ariel  Horowitz  an  Itzhak  Perlman  student  at
Juilliard, and opera singer Amanda Biggs. From farther afield, the bass guitar players are
many  and  mighty  starting  with  Victor  Wooten  (Bela  Fleck)  then  Steve  Mascari,  Mike
Lindauer, Rod Taylor, Jack Helsley and Frank Smith, while Ohio bred, New York based,
singer/songwriter John Crookston duets with Krista on one selection.

In  previous  reviews  I’ve  alluded  to  Detor’s  technique  of  “furnishing  a  cornucopia  of
seemingly  disparate  images  that  she  magically  glues  into  cohesive  entities.”  On  first
hearing,  this  stunned  listener  has  mouthed  “Wow.  I  can  relate  to  that.”  FLAT  EARTH
DIARY  contains  seven  songs penned by Krista, three more with Weber,  and  one  each
with George Detor and Jim Krause – the result a cornucopia of fresh opportunities to wail
“Wow.”  

A wonderfully lilting, piano led, melody supports Styx themed opener Ferryman’s Dream.
Among  the  countless  allusions  embraced  are  literature  (subtly  expounded  later  as
“wuthering weather,” “an old scarlet letter” and “bell jars”), war,  confessions and, finally,
death ­ “The only one that crosses is you.” As for art and music ­ there’s Miro and Ives ­
and  a  final  hope  “Maybe  get  lucky,  get  ­  two  ­  lives.”  Wooton  and  Biggs  support  the
rhythmically  energetic  Detor/Weber  fairytale/fantasy  Belle  Of  The  Ball,  Detor’s  piano
insistently propels Just Because, while Biggs returns for the percussive Red Velvet Box
an ode to love. Penned by Detor/Weber, “Burning bridges, the price I have paid” is  oft
repeated as the troubled Bridges narrator searches for peace.

Crookston duets with Detor on Always Somewhere, while the final Detor/Weber co­write,

The  Fine  Print,  features  Wooton  plus  guest  vocals  by  Krista  and  David’s  teenage
daughter’s Aurora and Isla. Penned with George Detor, and dating from last century the
character study Marietta is the oldest song here. Hear That? and the (penultimate) album
title  song, were,  crucially,  penned “on the boat,” both image­filled. the former  finds  the

narrator recall her getaway, while the latter is a blissful ball of energy. Jim Krause’s finger­
picked acoustic guitar and Anne Hurley’s cello support on the melodic, subjectively wistful
Detor/Krause closer Blowing Kisses.

As for the elephant at the edge of the gatefold cover, that’s another story…….  

https://www.kristadetor.com/ and https://myspace.com/kristadetor/music/songs

Arthur Wood.
Copyright of this work is retained by Kerrville Kronikles 11/13