Boarding Windows In Paradise

Virginia native Rebecca Frazier is a first-rate singer and flatpicker with lightning fast fingers and a sweet, sultry voice that’s utterly captivating.  On her new Compass Records release, Boarding Windows in Paradise, she really comes into her own with a clear vision as a songwriter and a renewed dedication to her vocal and flatpicking artistry. 

She’s assembled a sterling support group here, with Sam Bush on mandolin, Béla Fleck on banjo, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Barry Bales on bass, Josh Swift on Dobro and the legendary Bill Wolf handling production. Shelby Means and Trey Hensley also assist on harmonies.

Things get underway with the exuberant “High Country Road Trip,” which is about seeking renewal and inspiration on the open highway. It’s followed up by Frazier’s somber, nuanced revival of the anguished Roy Orbison torch song, “It’s Over.” 

“Make Hay While the Moon Shines” is a playfully romantic Frazier original (cowritten with Jon Weisberger and Bob Minner) and “Borderline” is a spirited remake of a Madonna hit of yesteryear, which Frazier recorded with the Virginia-based band Love Canon.

The super-charged “Train Is Moving” (Frazier and Lisa Aschmann) dramatically captures the inexorable onward rush of time, while the moody “Seasons” (also penned by Frazier) is a heartfelt rumination on love and the seasonal changes of the heart. “Cantie Reel” is a superb instrumental where Frazier really showcases her impeccable flatpicking. 

Thanks in large part to producer Wolf , who’s worked with everyone from Tony Rice to the Grateful Dead, these tracks have a bright, uncluttered and energetic quality that promises to be radio friendly in all the right ways.