Review of Tracy S. Feldman’s “Sea of Lucky Numbers”


By Jennifer Layton
(from Indie-Music.com, published in 2004)



I’ve been waiting for this CD for a long time.

I’ve seen Tracy Feldman perform many times over the past couple of years, and now he’s finally emerged from the studio with a collection of his songs so beautifully and simply arranged. Just a few instruments, including his guitar and violin, and that earnest, passionate voice. Feldman has always had a gift for bringing such strong emotion out of such quietly contemplative songs. He’s a modern version of the 60s folk poet with more passion and fire in his soul.

A perfect example, and my favorite track, is “Coasting Home.” I was spellbound when I first saw him perform it. Feldman uses his guitar as both a string and percussion instrument, plucking the strings to make them chime like bells and tapping on the body of the guitar for the beat. This song is a dream, quietly majestic and mesmerizing.

Feldman pours every ounce of energy into his songwriting, looking for every detail in his subjects, using all his senses to bring a story to life. “Laughing at the Sun” is an intimate character sketch of a dreadlocked drifter who earns his daily bread working in wealthy neighborhoods. Through his laugh, his agility at work, his weariness at the end of the day, I see I man more full of life and spirit than his elegant surroundings.

Other visuals also celebrate life. In “Origami,” he sings of an unlikely rebirth:

"I found my refuge in a place where winter killed a cherry tree, severed at its base.
It was blooming in profusion, laughing in death’s face..."

Feldman also breathes romance into “Pieces of the Sky,” a magical love song in which lovers waltz, walk, entwine. These songs are gems. This artist is a rare find. This CD is a special gift to keep my spirit dancing between Feldman’s live performances.


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