Open Door

POP MATTERS

Suppose this group’s name, Open Door, represented the entryway to a building that symbolizes their second album So Close to Beautiful. A walk inside would reveal rooms filled with all types of musical styles. The new age sitting room ("Someone to Love”, “Glow”, “I’m Here") might comfortably segue into the pop in the living room ("Let Down"), the rock in the hallway ("Confused"), the bedroom’s R&B ("Entertain You"), and the jazz riffs wafting in from the kitchen ("Neptune", “Where You Are"). And since none of the doors to these rooms are closed, sounds would blend together, like the saxophone solo in the visionary “I’m Here”, or the turntable scratches mixed into the blues of “Entertain You”. There would be space for tunes that recall Michael McDonald and James Ingram (see “Good Thing"). There would be a room for David Bowie—check out Open Door’s delectable cover of “DJ”. Open Door—consisting of Vickie Bell, Peter Adams, and Ray Grappone—offers an amalgam of sounds and textures beneath one roof. Count on more treasures when guests are invited: Elsa Cornish on background vocals, Dana Jared taking the lead on “Good Thing”, Jonathan Moran (bass) and Matthew Cusick (guitar) on “DJ”, Alix Alvarez working the turntables, and Jeff Leonard working the sax. - Pop Matters

AMP CAMP

f this album was being played at a party, it would definitely be piped into the chill-out/make-out room with a sink-in-the-minute-you-sit-down couch, mesmerizing strobe lights, and a disco ball. Open Door's second album is mellow, experimental and above all beautiful. The band is comprised of producer/vocalist/remixer Vicki Bell, keyboardist Peter Adams and drummer/percussionist Ray Grappone, and together they've created a genre-defying disc of jazz, rock, and electronica.

"Entertain You" is a sexy tune that sounds like Beck meets Gwen Stefani on Valume backed by scratches, random computer sounds, and horns. "DJ," a David Bowie cover, opens with a killer bass line that's guaranteed to get stuck in your head. The song plays out like a balloon leaking helium, repeating "I am a DJ/I am what I play" over and over with a consistent wobbly background noise that conjures up visions of vinyl revolving around a turntable.

"Nearness" is slow and lulling in a way that captures the feeling of a dream, where you're fearlessly and effortlessly flying through the clouds. The most riveting is "Confused," a grittier, darker ditty with poignant lyrics, such as: "Since you've come into my life/I've been so confused/Turned around and wondering what I'm supposed to do." Halfway through the track the vibe changes and the "confusion" sets in: first stopping, then a few random electronic noises, and finally back to its original melancholy ways within seconds. The group's biggest 180 comes as they morph into an old-school R&B song, "Good Thing," where the Motown-inspired vocals ring: "I'm begging you to forgive me/Because we've got a good thing chil'/Come back to me." A good thing indeed. - Amp Camp