Danan Healy: Degrees of Style

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In the world of Pop music, it is not uncommon to find artists who are classically trained. Many people learn classical instruments or chorale, whether through private instruction, schools or conservatories, and then apply that learning to their favorite non-classical genres.

There are also artists who crossover from Pop to Classical (such as Michael Bolton's ill-advised album of arias), and vice-versa (Sarah Brightman).

But I have encountered few artists who have crossed-over in quite the way that Danan Healy has. With a Bachelor's degree in Music for Voice from Southern Methodist University, and later a Master's degree from the Eastman School of Music (endowed by Kodak founder George Eastman, which explains the school's affiliation with the University of Rochester in NY), Ms Healy certainly has impressive academic credentials.

Her practical experience has ranged from operas to oratorios, and from international competitions to an impressive three-year stint with the U.S. Army Field Band's Soldier's Chorus. Her more contemporary work includes compositions for independent films, and a collaboration on a project called Aeolian May.

But eventually, as one can imagine, Ms Healy became eager to embark on a solo project, and in 2005 it finally came to fruition with the release of her EP You Need More Love. Surprisingly for anyone who has been reading up to this point, her chosen musical genre for the album was... Ska?!

More precisely, it's "Ska, Danan Healy-style", featuring intensely personal lyrics and themes that run the emotional gamut from bad breakups to wild sex. Either way, it's a bit of a left-turn from Mozart and Kurt Weill. Clearly, this was one artist who just wanted to cut footloose for a change; and the fact that she could attach dark lyrics to upbeat music allowed her to have the best of both worlds.

There are six songs on the EP, and they all feature high production values, particularly the brass arrangements on the tracks "You Need More Love", "Despise You", "Gold Star", and "Don't Waste My Time". The other two tracks, "The Only Way" and "Hotel Room" (the latter of which originally appeared on the Aeolian May album) are more downbeat, musically and thematically. "The Only Way" is a fairly gut-wrenching song that could be a Country ballad -- except it isn't twangy, and the emotions actually sound genuine. The song features this great line from the chorus: The only way that I get through a day / Is that I don't die.

"Gold Star" is another standout track, for it exhibits the kind of irreverent sexuality and humor that made Liz Phair infamous; and BOY does it make me wish I had a lyric sheet for this EP.

If there's one criticism that could be made regarding You Need More Love, it may be that Danan Healy's voice is too good for the style of music. Imagine, for example, that Linda Ronstadt were the vocalist for Save Ferris; would you get the same thing out of the music? Of course, Save Ferris' actual singer, Monique Powell, is one of the strongest vocalists working in Pop today, and that never took anything away from their music; so perhaps my theory is bunk after all.

As with every album, you will have to judge for yourself. I, for one, was more than happy to add two Danan Healy songs to the playlist, and I invite you to check out her album at the CDBaby link above.

There is one thing about Danan Healy that is indisputable: She is an intriguing artist with a unique combination of education, experience and approach, and one can only hope that she will continue to explore music that is personally meaningful.