Crossing The Border by Judy Sandra

it asks you to open your mind and dream a little, and I love that about Crossing The Border. Closing this 5 star, 5 song EP is the djembe/Native American drums, bass, piano and flute-filled "Wanting You", with airy coed harmonies similar to Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"...I hate to label Judy as a AAA artist since she makes remarkable use of a variety of instruments, combining contempo pop with a bit of Americana, a dash of folk and a whole lot of rootsy, artsy class, timeless and elegant."

Melyssa A. Harmon

Get Fancy! Magazine, Feb.2001

The "only independent musician's

trade magazine" distributed to the radio industry.

Crossing The Border is the debut CD of singer, songwriter, and pianist Judy Sandra. Musical since childhood, Judy is no stranger to unusual musical influences. At nine, Judy performed with a 100-piece harmonica marching band, co-founded and co-led by her father, entertaining at veterans hospitals, nursing homes, and in local parades. The band gained national recognition when, two years later, they appeared in LIFE Magazine and on TV on The Today Show. Judy later played clarinet, folk guitar and studied classical guitar, which led her to perform with a large, classical mandolin orchestra.

As an adult, Judy studied classical and pop singing privately in New York City. With a 4-octave range, Judy's intimate, soulful voice soars with expression, piercing the heart with an energizing force that could be called Transcendental. One reviewer remarked: "she has the amazing ability to transform her voice up and down the scales in a unique, almost operatic pop style that blankets in a beautiful femininity."

She taught herself to play piano only a few years ago, as she began to write and sing her own songs. She plays primarily by ear--quite literally as she has been functionally deaf in her right ear since childhood. Her piano arrangements are lush, complex and intricate, almost compositions on their own, influenced by classical, folk, and jazz music and world rhythms, creating an ambient sound that has been described as "rootsy, artsy class, timeless and elegant".

Crossing The Border crosses the boundaries of musical genres, showing Judy's stylistic range, with songs deeply felt and delivered, from the piano driven, jazzy sound of Only The Love to the guitar/vocal folk of Night Bird, to the rootsy rock of the title cut Crossing the Border. Judy's songs are melody driven with lush vocal harmonies and strong percussive elements--beauty with a beat! While her insightful, honest, meditative and poetic lyrics speak of personal experience and spiritual awakenings, love lost and hope found.

If Judy Sandra's Crossing The Border is an invitation to discover an exciting new voice, it reads: "Please join me in my celebration of life and love, and follow me on this luminous path of unfolding awareness".

Average Customer Review: