Lorenza Ponce: New CD ‘Soul Shifter’ Earns Raves. Website: http://www.lorenzaponce.com

Early acclaim has greeted singer/violinist Lorenza Ponce’s sultry rock/Americana collection, ‘Soul Shifter.’ In his BLOGCRITICS review, which also ran via NO DEPRESSION, respected writer Jack Goodstein praised, “Ponce’s first foray into rock is riddled with successes and filled with promise for the future.” Saturation tour press ran in support of Ponce’s recent headlining dates – THE ALBANY TIMES UNION raved, “Let’s just make this perfectly clear: Lorenza Ponce is a big deal.” ‘Soul Shifter’ is “glorious.” Remarking on Ponce’s unique background as a self-professed ‘rock-girl side person’ for such superstars as Sheryl Crow and as violinist for Bon Jovi and others, THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD noted, “Not every girl can say that rocker Sheryl Crow bought her first pair of leather pants!” Ponce will open for Bon Jovi at the kick-off of the 2011 U.S. leg of the band’s tour, February 9th at Penn State. She will also open for them March 4th at Mohegan Sun.

Featuring her ethereal vocals and blues violin, Ponce’s album charts a path out of the shadows and into the spotlight for a talented artist with a storied career as a performer and as a string arranger — her credits include such notable tracks as Dixie Chicks ‘Landslide’, Sheryl Crow’s ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ and ‘It’s Only Love’, Bon Jovi’s MTV Unplugged ‘Living on a Prayer’ and more.

The multi-talented musician Lorenza Ponce has toured the world playing violin alongside such artists as Ben Folds, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, John Tesh (!) and Thriving Ivory. As Lorenza explains, her rock debut Soul Shifter represents “a style change from the classical training and new age music of my past, while incorporating the ‘graduate degree’ I have earned at the school of rock star employers and mentors.” Growing up on a farm in Maryland, Lorenza had a prescient idea of her career path. “Even though I chose the violin, I always knew I would be a non-classical musician, and as soon as I found out that there was a NYC, I knew that was where I would live. So as soon as I was legal, that’s where I headed.” Keyboardist Joe McGinty recommended Lorenza for her first session and a chance meeting with Jon Anderson of Yes led to a collaboration on his album Deseo (Windham Hill, 1994). Anderson encouraged Lorenza to start writing her own music as well, and her solo debut as a classical crossover artist, Imago, was released in 1997 by EMI/Angel Records. Ever eager to take to the road as well as developing her solo work, Lorenza toured with new agers Kitaro and John Tesh and appears in the An Enchanted Evening and One World videos documenting those shows. Ponce’s strength as a performer / instrumentalist was recognized by The St. Petersburg Times: “Ponce is a violin virtuoso, plucking her strings while singing on the ethereal ‘Canta Domine.’”

As a first call session player, Lorenza was part of the string quintet that accompanied Sheryl Crow on the theme for the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997). Lorenza next worked with her on The Globe Sessions, where she broke a cardinal rule of her session work and gave the artist a copy of her record. “I was hanging on a break, talking about the Bond session with Sheryl, and a little voice said, ‘ask her if you can give her a record.’ That moment changed my life.” Sheryl invited Lorenza to play on her VH1 Storytellers special, which led to the violinist accompanying her on the subsequent world tour. Lorenza credits Sheryl Crow for her transformation from New Age sidewoman to rock chick. “Sheryl encouraged me to pick up the guitar again, and in addition to hiring me to write string arrangements for her recordings, bought me my first really good pair of leather pants. And she encouraged me to keep making solo records” Ponce subsequently recorded another solo new age album, Mystic Fiddler (Melodia, 2000) and returned to write orchestral arrangements for Sheryl Crow’s C’mon, C’mon (A&M, 2002).

When it was time to hire a conductor, Crow handed Lorenza the baton and insisted she take the podium. This experience was critical in Lorenza being responsible for writing string arrangements (and touring with) The Dixie Chicks, along with her more recent work with rock icons Bon Jovi. “After the tragedy of 9/11, every person wanted to help. I was thrilled when I got a call to play the Tribute to Heroes Telethon with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. I had never met them, but it turned out to be the start of a good musical collaboration.” Lorenza also played the historic Concert For New York with Bon Jovi, as well as smaller benefits for the families of the servicemen lost from Jon’s hometown. It’s no wonder Lorenza has such deep regard for the band. “It was an honor to be part of their contribution to healing.” Lorenza became a permanent member of Jon’s solo acoustic group (which mainly plays charity and political events) and was subsequently asked to join the Bon Jovi “Lost Highway” tour, which featured her prominently. “After completing a rock tour as big as Lost Highway, I knew I was ready to make my own rock record. My writing had been shifting towards rock for several years. My new record represents that.”

BLOG CRITICS/NO DEPRESSION – CD REVIEW BY JACK GOODSTEIN
http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/cd-review-lorenza-ponce-soul
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-lorenza-ponce-soul-shifter1/

Perhaps like many of you, I was unfamiliar with the music of Lorenza Ponce until her latest CD, Soul Shifter. After listening a few times, it was clear that this was not just another pop rocker, this was a singer/songwriter with talent; this was an instrumentalist worth some attention. This was someone worth learning more about. A few clicks on Google, and it quickly becomes obvious that Lorenza Ponce is no novice. An accomplished violinist, she has played with some of the biggest names on the music scene.

What is new in this her latest album, is her emergence as a roots rock soloist. Soul Shifter, she has said, is “a style change from the classical training and new age music of my past, while incorporating the ‘graduate degree’ I have earned at the school of rock star employers and mentors.” Indeed, she credits Sheryl Crow with her makeover: “Sheryl was Patsy Cline to my Loretta Lynn. She encouraged me to pick up the guitar again. . . and bought me my first really good pair of leather pants.”

Of the album’s ten tracks eight are by Ponce, four in collaboration with others and four on her own. The rocking “Baby Please Don’t Go” is by Joseph Lee Williams. It shows the singer off at her sultry best. George Harrison’s “Let It Down” begins with a soft cabaret vibe and rocks out on the chorus. Her own “Frostbite” has a nice folksy feel that builds on an extensive conceit comparing the effects of unrequited love to frostbite. “Testify” is a demand that we stand up and acknowledge that we are living for love. It features some nice guitar and banjo accompaniment. “I Won’t Lose Faith” has an otherworldly quality that has some echoes of her new age past, but adds a touch of blues with the first chorus. The problem of maintaining faith in a world where bad things happen to good people is central to the song’s affirmation: “No I won’t, I won’t lose faith in you/No matter what you do.”

The album opens with “Casual Girl,” the lament of a love taken for granted, but unable to break away. The chorus exploits some clever internal rhyming that emphasizes the speaker’s awareness of her situation and her inability to do anything about it: “keep me handy like pocket candy” and “dedicated to a love I’ve hated.” She’s “not that lucky.” She’ll “keep on sinking deeper.” “Remedy” is a down home blues sitting on an intense throbbing beat. “What Happened to You,” another blues, is a diatribe against the artist that has lost his way; once upon a time you could make us feel, she cries. “What happened to you?” “Daddy’s Baby” is a patriotic anthem with a country feel. It is an assertion that love of country doesn’t mean love of guns and war: she shouldn’t be “misunderstood / Like it’s some kinda crazy gun totin’ sisterhood.”

“Soul Shifter,” the song that gives the album its title is a swinging tribute to old blue eyes, Frank Sinatra. “A soul shifter,” Ponce has said, “is someone who will turn your blue mood into joy and laughter, without you even thinking about it.” It is a soft rock tune with some of the most elaborate orchestration on the album, but it doesn’t quite have the raw energy of some of the other songs on the album. Unfortunately for me, whenever she got to the chorus: “He’s a soul shifter/He’s the mood lifter,” all I could keep hearing was Pat Benatar, but that’s my problem.

Lorenza Ponce’s first foray into rock is riddled with successes and filled with promise for the future. Her selection of material is varied. She has a seductive voice that is equally at home with the blues and the softer rock ballad. Her own songs are intelligent and thought provoking. She manages to put her own stamp on the songs of others. All in all, you may not be enthralled by every track on the album, but it will be the rare listener who will not find much to like on Soul Shifter.

Five Firsts: Lorenza Ponce
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … Aerosmith’s “Draw The Line”
2. THE FIRST CONCERT I EVER SAW WAS … Classical – The Baltimore Symphony Rock – Aerosmith
3. THE FIRST INSTRUMENT I EVER OWNED OR PLAYED WAS … Piano
4. THE FIRST SONG I EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC WAS … Movement one from Vivaldi’s Concerto No. 1
5. THE FIRST BAND I WAS EVER IN WAS … Raining Violet

Visit: www.lorenzaponce.com