- Bryon Harris
Marsha Bartenetti - 'Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez'
Updated: Nov 1, 2022
Review by Abby Kenna
Marsha Bartenetti's release, “Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez”, is a narrative journey through our human desire to create and receive love. Stirring vocals woven with sultry jazz instrumentals, this piece is a work of musical art.
“There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy / they say he wandered very far, over land and sea….”
“Nature Boy” opens with a haunting piano intro, plodding along minor melodies to create achingly beautiful tension. Throughout the course of “Nature Boy”, Marsha is deliberate in the arc of her arrangement. Although the song starts with quiet, cautious piano to set the scene, it ebbs and flows as the story progresses.
After the first mention of the hook, a sultry jazz-influenced guitar takes center stage, transitioning the song. A brushed drum beat begins, lightly pushing the rhythmic feel. These subtle arrangement touches greatly impact the dynamic scope of “Nature Boy”, highlighting the intensity in the quiet moments and the emotion in the peaks.
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return…”
One of the most inviting aspects of “Nature Boy” is the way that the piano and voice converse with one another throughout the course of the song. In terse, quiet moments, the piano holds its breath for the voice to whisper. Similarly, at the peak of certain lyrics, the arrangement swells to match the intensity of Bartenetti's words. Their tones intertwine until they meld into one – the dynamics of the instrumental composition matching the delivery of the vocals. This symbiotic relationship between the voice and piano allows the parts to simultaneously create space and support for one another.
Bartenetti's emotive voice and gripping arrangement work in tandem in “Nature Boy” to create a cinematic, rousing musical experience.
About Marsha Bartenetti
Award-winning vocalist, Marsha Bartenetti is a Smooth Jazz, Great American Songbook & Contemporary Adult Singer, who will cross any genre for a good lyric. Her style ranges from Billie Holiday, to Bonnie Raitt, all sung with authenticity and rich, evocative tones.
After having left the music business for many years, Marsha enjoyed a highly successful career as a Voice-Over/On-Camera artist with National credits. She still maintains a successful Voice-0ver career and records Audio Description for Feature Films and Television Programs/Series.
Marsha’s return to music with passion and determination is winning audiences over as she has sold out shows at some of the finest music venues, like Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Jazz Club in Los Angeles and Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco.
Since returning to the stage in 2014 she has released 5 studio albums and 2 singles.
Most recently, in 2022 Marsha released “Marsha Bartenetti Sings McNealy and Khuns” and fully orchestrated album of original songs by Jane McNealy and Alice Kuhns. The vinyl LP released October 2022.
All of Marsha’s music can be found on Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube and can be heard on Spotify. For more information, please visit Marsha's website.