When I first heard that Rita Wilson was recording a CD, I thought it really should have been enough to be a beautiful and successful actress and producer, not to mention being married to Tom Hanks. I mean, how much does one girl want? And besides, I'm kind of a purist when it comes to original songs by original artists. That's why I like those Time Life infomercials so much. So I did not start out listening with the assumption that I was going to be blown away. Quite the opposite, in fact.
We live in a time when the music is loud and the tuning is automated. Words like "reflective" and "heartfelt" are not part of our lexicon, especially when describing music and/or singers. But sometimes more is simply more and not necessarily better, and so that is why Rita Wilson's CD AM/FM is such a welcomed and refreshing departure.
It has long been my contention that the untapped demographic for music is the over forty or fifty crowd. Plus, it has the added advantage of being the only demographic that will not illegally download songs, if for no other reason than we don't know how to. We still like holding something tactile in our hands, even minus the glorious album cover art and liner notes of a bygone era.
Rita Wilson's performance on this debut CD is tasteful, classy, and reverent -- a songwriter's dream. Rather than being just a mere vanity project, "AM/FM" is a soothing balm in an angry world.
While Ms. Wilson does not have a huge voice, it is a pure and pretty one. It is sweet without being sappy. It should also be noted that the arrangements and production beautifully compliment her, so kudos to Fred Mollin for great production.
I think AM/FM is a lovely revisiting of old friends, done in a timeless fashion. So thanks to Rita Wilson for not only living out her lifelong dream, but for reminding me why I wanted to be a songwriter in the first place. Job well done, Rita Wilson, job well done.