Cosmic Ocean Ship (Bonus Track)

Mia Doi Todd is, thus far, a great, overlooked talent. Her simple folk melodies and beautiful vocals are reminiscent of the early ‘60s in their purity and lack of artifice. There is an elemental joy to “My Baby Lives In Paris” that elicits feelings of first love and of springtime. There’s a Spanish undertow to many tracks including the lilting opener, “Paraty” and Violetta Parra’s “Gracias a la Vida” that easily transcends language. Baden Powell’s “Canto de lemanja” features beautifully multi-tracked vocals that accentuate the uneasy feeling of the sparse percussion. Latin percussion further emphasizes the beauty of “Under the Sun,” a cut that sounds as if it was unearthed from a Los Angeles recording studio in the early 1970s. Fans of Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins and Joan Baez will surely thrill to this unpretentious sound. Todd is classically trained and unashamed to use her knowledge. It’s a pity there aren’t more like her. But then refined talent is always at a premium.