LYING DELILAH

FEATURE

STREET BEAT SPOTLIGHT

LYING DELILAH

by Ernie Thomas

Armed with a slickly packaged and extremely well produced original music CD, Munster’s Lying Delilah are becoming known in Chicagoland.

Jodi Rosenthal, the 22-year-old keyboardist/lead vocalist, has been friends with her band mates since high school, but Lying Delilah only came together two years ago.

Rosenthal first met bassist Steve Pesich in their high school theater department. Drummer Andrew Dumaresq and Pesich were the rhythm section of a popular teenage rock group and Rosenthal soon became part of their circle of friends.

“I was always in choir and stuff, but I didn’t take music seriously until I was 17 and I started writing songs,” she recalled.

A self-taught pianist, Rosenthal continued songwriting while pursuing a college arts degree. One day she shared them with her old friend Pesich who was impressed enough to suggest they record them.

Dumaresq came in to keep the beat at Thunderclap Studio in Hammond. After wrapping up four Rosenthal compositions, the three decided to write five more songs together and turn what was to be Rosenthal’s demo, into a full-length album.

Lying Delilah was officially born at that point, taking their name from the line in a “Phantom of The Opera” song

That debut CD – Polygraph – was released around the holidays this past year.

The Lying Delilah sound is wholly unique. A tasty mix of jazz and pop with a little “show tunes” flavoring.

“That people can’t really describe the music with words is great,” said Rosenthal.

While it is tempting to make comparisons between Rosenthal and celebrated piano gals like Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, to do so would be unfair.

There’s a distinct bluesy quality in many of Lying Delilah’s tunes as well, which could evoke further comparisons to say an artist like Rickie Lee Jones, but with a cleaner vocalizing.

Think Dinah Washington tossed into a musical blender with Joni Mitchell and Billie Holiday and you might have an idea of Rosenthal’s timbre, phrasings and style.

At times, Rosenthal will fly solo with her 88 ivories, if her boys are busy making music elsewhere with Groovatron, a region band in which they are members.

Work on a second Lying Delilah album is expected to begin in late 2006, with an early spring 2007 release.

For now, Lying Delilah are focused on booking more gigs in Chicago proper, where well-played, well-written original music is embraced with open arms and open ears.

Lying Delilah have the talent, ability and uniqueness to be a shoe-in at such inner city music haunts.

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