Not Forgotten

Nicole Fournier & Her 3lb Universe

reviewed by: Bill Majkut

“Not Forgotten” is Nicole Fournier’s 2nd CD. The compilation is an assortment of 11 new original songs composed over the last few years. All of the material on this CD is well written. Nicole’s depth and perspective of life is expressed superbly through out her work here. She has matured exceedingly in her song-writing, vocals and as a guitarist since her debut release “From the Beginning”. (Speaking of guitarists, let me just say that Nicole Fournier “LIVE” is the only female guitarist that makes male guitarists want to take estrogen in hopes of playing like her.)

Her selection of musicians on “Not Forgotten” couldn’t get much better. Randy Oxford: Trombone & backing vocals, Ric Ulsky: Hammond B-3 & Keyboards, Michael Kinder: Drums and Michael Stubblefield: Electric bass & backing vocals. These folks are ALL world class players.

This is NOT a blues record anymore than Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time” is. It is a collection of songs that reflect Nicole’s life experiences, and her perspective on what they mean. Nicole has a God given talent for creating musically and verbally, mind pictures for her listeners that capture her quality of life and the lives of other people. Her work on “Not Forgotten” shows how much she has developed this talent since her first CD.

The production engineering and the cover artwork quality is top notch. Recorded and mixed at Pacific Studios in Tacoma by Tony Thomas and Mark Simmons. The artwork by Catherine and Mike Attebery reflect what Nicole and this CD is about. Well done people!!!

Due to size limitations for this review I will not critique every song.

The disc opens with the title track: “Not Forgotten”. This tune speaks reverently of those who have paid the price for suffering unjust wrongs patiently i.e. Jesus Christ, P.O.W.’s, M.I.A.’s , Leonard Peltier, Martin Luther King etc. Great tune with a good feel.

“Old Man on the Corner” (like ALL her songs) was inspired by a true-life experience of seeing the human being behind the face of a man holding a cardboard sign in the rain while waiting to get on the freeway. This is an absolutely beautiful piece of music with some VERY fine trombone work by Randy Oxford.

There are several “Latin” type songs on here “Leavin’ Paradise” and “Eyes of Avoidance”. The all-star cast of players pull these grooves off well. The CD develops from start to finish with a good assortment of different grooves and feels.

The only blues tune on this disc is a slow blues titled “Maybe Someday”. This track features Randy Oxford on trombone. Randy is generally acknowledged to be a great showman with inexhaustible energy. This is all true, but what gets lost or rarely articulated is his beautiful tone coupled with his very tasty and brilliantly gifted solo ideas. TONE is what makes a brass or a reed player great. The aumbeture (mouth muscles) that are responsible for tone may take decades of development. Randy has paid those dues in full; manifesting in a sound reminiscent of Jack Teagarden & J.J. Johnson, the progressiveness of Bill Watrous and the unorthodox delivery of..., well...., Randy Oxford! He’s pretty much incomparable.

There is a hidden track at the very end titled “The Zachari Tapes” by a 5 year old Cody Fournier. This track may be THE Grammy winner on the disc. You’ll have to hunt for it but this too captures the warmth, depth and beautiful perspective that Nicole contributes to the gift of life.

Michael Kinder is truthfully one of the very best drummers there is. He has unlimited ideas and chops and the energy to take music to places they have never been before. He is ALWAYS a treat to make music with and his work on this CD is no exception.

Though Ric Ulsky’s musicianship on this disc moslty captures his production talents, he definitely shares the Kinder limitlessness and energy.

I am not familiar with bassist Michael Stubblefield previous work. But if the caliber of players on this CD reflects his talent, I am sure the man can play. Michael pretty much plays to the songs on this disc. On a few occasions he adds some very tasty fills like the double stop lick on the break in “Self Respecting Woman”. These occurrences show that he has ears and creativity. He’s a solid player and captured a good bass tone on these tracks.

“Not Forgotten” is a must have for any fan of Nicole Fornier or those who appreciate Bonnie Raitt’s musical diversity.

As always, I am including my truthful but critical comments too. They are as follows:

To those who have seen Nicole “Live” this disc may be a great disappointment. There is absolutely NO heat on these tracks. To me this

is a real tragedy considering the great talent assembled here. There is no stretching the improvisational extremes that I know Nicole, Randy, Ric, and Kinder are capable of and do so well when playing live. Nicole’s blistering; spontaneous and inspiring guitar work is A.W.O.L. through out this entire disc. This is my only criticism of this recording. In deference to her fans, Nicole owes them a “Live Album”. Considering her first CD and this one, it may only be when she does record “Live” with the kind of players that she has successfully assembled here, that we will have a collection that accurately captures the true depth of ALL her talents. This lady is one of the top three (if not the best) female blues-rock guitarists on the planet. It’s a shame that this recording fails to reveal that!