Description
The Flower Child’s Guide to Love and Fashion is the sophomore album by the Antigua born, American based singer and songwriter Patsy Moore, released on Warner Alliance in 1994, the CCM division of Warner Bros. Records.
A touch of the hippy (yep, some tracks have got sitar) but there’s more, much more, than 60’s nostalgia here. This is a shining example of commercial pop at its best. Patsy Moore possesses a twinkling, delightfully understated voice which handles both the whimsical («I Love A Boy On College Radio») and the reflective («Fine Glide») with total ease and success. Her songwriting talents, moreover, are equally superb. Both musically and lyrically, there is a depth here that is refreshing and rare in a pop album. As in her debut album, the music is acoustic-based, vibrant with ventures into various styles, including Latin, folk and jazz, whilst the beautifully crafted lyrics enrich the rhythm and melody with their poetry, making their message clear with no need for the bull-in-a-china-shop approach. Highlights include the first track, «I’ve Got A Million», with its heavy Celtic influence and catchy, simple chorus, «Hate Is A Thief» with its tender melody and poignant, poetic lyric, and the superlative «The State I’m In», which combines Ms Moore’s voice with that of Phil Keaggy in an exquisite ballad that deserves to be a hit. No album has spoken to the ‘child in me’ in such a way since Julie Miller‘s debut. A rich, rewarding and special experience. [Niazi Fetto, Cross Rhythms, October 1994]
‘The Flower Child’s Guide To Love And Fashion’ (along with 1992’s ‘Regarding The Human Condition‘) solidly establishes Moore as a poet for our time. Not that she’s moody and brooding – this is likely the deepes lighthearted record you’ll ever hear.
Moore, in fact, makes it clear she’s tired of being complex and miserable. In «I’ve Got A Million» she seeks to shed the dark lrish poets, rock n’ roll hot dogs and sullen psychiatrists inside her head and sooth her soul with a lilting “la da dee da” refrain. She then spends the next nine songs mostly singing the praises of, well, God. Whether the encouragement of witnessing the effects of His presence in a human life («Flower Child», «How It Should Be»), relishing the joy of salvation («Thinking Of You», «Under The Sign Of Love») or finding His guiding hand in hard times («The State I’m In», «Who Floats Your Boat»), she has found the thread of His unconditional love in every facet of her world.
‘Flower Child …’ also showcases – Moore’s unique musical outlook. With heavyweights like Greg Phillinganes, Jerry McPherson and John Patitucci on board, producer John Hug blends Moore’s finely-crafted songs with an eclectic amalgam of influences and instruments. You’ll hear a harpsichord, a melotron, celestes, mandolins, banjos, harps, sitars and a taboura.
This diversity is symbolic of Moore’s own sound. She’s pop, but not bubble gum; she’s 60’s, but not dated; she’s original, but not experimental; she’s Dionne Warwick, but not psychic. Her music demonstrates a solid confidence and security that juxtaposes well against the vulnerability of the characters in her songs.
One of the many highlights of this record is Moore’s duet with Phil Keaggy on «The State I’m In» where they sing of a God who knows you better than you know yourself: “Only you know, beyond the look in my eyes, where to begin to heal what others only estimate. Perfect love comes in and takes its place, whatever state I’m in.”
Whatever state Patsy Moore’s in – joyous, compassionate, introspective – God will be with her, holding one hand as she writes poetry with the other. [Derek Wesley Selby, Syndicate Magazine, July 1994, Vol. 9, Issue 2]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-flower-childs-guide-to-love-and-fashion/358072296)
CD tracklist:
01. I’ve Got A Million – 3:43
02. Flower Child – 5:26
03. How It Should Be (Love And Fashion) – 4:57
04. Hate Is A Thief – 4:28
05. Thinking Of You – 4:18
06. I Love A Boy (On College Radio) – 3:11
07. The State I’m In – 4:50
08. Who Floats Your Boat? – 4:14
09. Under The Sign Of Love – 4:21
10. Fine Glide – 3:26
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Warner Alliance.
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