Word: tone
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Lyrically, Tone Soul Evolution deals with the timeless topics of pop music: love, doubt, betrayal, hope--in other words, the usual. The only difference is that, as befits the '90s, the subjects of songs are often fairly ambiguous. "Seems So" details the story of an eerie night-time UFO-ish episode, without revealing much of what actually happened. "Find Our Way" mentions a relationship and its past, but doesn't allow the listener to find out anything other than "Maybe we'll find our way." But Schneider's sardonic, often ambiguous, delivery allows potential cheese-o lines like "Headed home...
...real question is, when would you listen to Tone Soul Evolution? The answer, of course, is after you've listened to Revolver for the umpteenth time, once again damned Yoko Ono and Wings and cursed God that the Beatles ever broke up. Oasis, look out. With the release of Tone Soul Evolution, Apples In Stereo has the leg up in the Beatles sound-alike competition...
Chang's playing, too, is anything but youthful. She plays aggressively, with a throaty sound, and caps off her notes with a fast, urgent vibrato. She is unafraid of digging into challenging runs or over-playing. Chang's tone, like Audrey Hepburn's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's, has the mean reds...
Chang's interpretation of Mozart's Sonata in C Major, K. 296, was not so graceful. Her bright, biting tone cast an unforgiving light on the piece which, like most of Mozart's work, requires a light touch. Mozart sonatas are meant to be played with an almost off-hand ease: the bubbling passages and sweet melodies cannot be trudged through. The ringing intensity of Chang's playing was not at all suited to the delicate and almost childlike sonata. Chang's high notes blossomed in this piece as in all the others, but the low notes were swallowed...
...welcome exception to the flatness of the acting can be found in the unfortunately far too small part of a sailor played by Joseph Specter. Specter sang with a very pleasing, quick vibrato, fine enunciation of his words and clear tone. And he is one of the few actors, if not the only one, who projects a consistent, believable stage presence. He simply assumes the character of the role he played, without pandering to the audience or looking shell-shocked by their presence...