It's clear from the opening moments of
Chi Coltrane's self-titled debut that she's a singer/songwriter a few musical cuts above the rest. Primarily, this is down to her piano playing. Where even the most respected artists of the genre could only play basic block chords or arpeggios (
Laura Nyro and
Joni Mitchell, respectively),
Coltrane is a player's player, and the equal of any session musician. The 11 songs on
Chi Coltrane give her ample opportunity to show off. "Thunder and Lightning" (an absolute white soul gem) was her first single and a Top 20 hit, but it tells only a fraction of the story. The rest of the album displays a complete mastery and understanding of gospel ("Go Like Elijah"), as well music of both the Classical and Romantic periods ("The Wheel of Life"), and in addition, she comes up with a few hybrids of her own ("You Were My Friend"). Her vocals, alternatively tender, spirited, angry, and with a wonderful on-the-verge-of-tears quality, are at odds with the dreamy inertia of most mid-'70s performers. They invest every cut with a compelling sense of drama and anxiety.
Coltrane may not be a top-drawer wordsmith (although she's certainly quite good), but her lyrics are clear-headed, unpretentious, and direct. For subject matter, she draws mainly on love, friendship, religion (tentatively), and philosophy. Although much press attention focussed on her glacial, blonde good looks (think a less scary, pre-heroin
Nico), this album was a triumph of style and substance in equal measure.