This "forward music project" consists of a set of seven commissions by cellist
Amanda Gookin. All are chamber-sized, and some use electronic elements. As the graphics of the album indicate, all have programs of a feminist orientation.
Morgan Krauss' Memories Lie Dormant, for example, "is a piece that mirrors what it means to be a survivor of sexual assault," while
Allison Loggins-Hull's Stolen "is a sonatine of three short movements exploring the journey of a young girl who is sold into marriage." What gives the
Forward Music Project 1.0 interest beyond specifically feminist circles, however, is the direct, even fervent quality of the music, and especially of
Gookin's cello. Sample the very first work, composer
Nathalie Joachim's Dam mwen yo: the words mean "my ladies" in Haitian Creole, and the work is a tribute to the women in
Joachim's life. The music compels the attention from the start and does not let go. Strong production adds to the appeal, and listeners of all stripes will be left looking forward to Project 2.0.