Leslie Hunt: “Ascend” (2021) CD Review

You might know Leslie Hunt from her work with the group District 97, but she also has a solo career, sometimes performing on her own and sometimes with a backing band. On Ascend, her new EP, she chooses the latter. The band is made up of Christian Matthew Cullen (who also produced the CD) on guitar, keys, percussion, and backing vocals; Stuart Mindeman on keys; Matt Gold on guitar; Lloyd Snyder on guitar; Bryan Doherty on bass; and Michael Caskey on drums. This release features all original material, written by Leslie Hunt. This EP is one of two planned for release this year, the second to be titled Descend and released in September.

This EP opens with “Starting Over,” which has a good folk-pop vibe. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Nothing exists that doesn’t consist of/Something sustainable from deep within/I’m digging a hole where no one else can find it/Fillin’ it up to the brim/This may seem somewhat foolish to you/But I’m changing this loss to a win/I’m a pro at starting over.” At moments, Leslie Hunt reminds me of Aimee Mann here. Yeah, she’s that good, and this is a strong track. It is followed by “There You Are,” which kicks in right away and has a good energy. What draws me in is this excellent line near the beginning: “You can’t stand it ‘cause you gave up control of it.” I love even more the bright force of this song, those moments when she really belts out the lyrics: “It’s never your fault or your weakness/You’re trying to escape, but guess who always stays.” Also, she happens to quote The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension in this song’s lyrics: “Wherever you go, there you are.” Okay, Peter Weller says, “Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” But still, very cool. By the way, Leslie Hunt released a music video for this song.

“The door is open and I am walking through,” Leslie Hunt sings at the beginning of “Your Wind,” her voice supported by organ. It is a wonderfully positive line, and yet there is a cautious element at work here as well, as she sings “Waiting for the right time/To bare my soul.” But you feel while listening to this sweet number that things are going to be fine. That is followed by “Wolf Cried Boy,” a title that I really like, sort of in the same vein as something like Man Bites Dog. The opening lines work to immediately pull us in, “The wolf cried boy again/Howling for all again/So hard to believe her/‘Cause every time you see her/She’s wearing another skin around.” This is probably the most interesting song on the disc, and it includes some work on steel guitar. Another of the disc’s highlights, “Right Here,” follows, with a steady rhythm on piano. This is one of my personal favorites, in large part because of Leslie Hunt’s excellent and varied vocal performance. “Love me or leave me/‘Cause neither one I fear/I am finally sold that after all these years/I’m right where I belong/And it’s right here.”

This EP really gets better and better as it goes, with “Down The Road” being another of its highlights. On this one we get to hear Leslie Hunt play piano (she played guitar on a couple of the other tracks). This one has a serious theme, about two people who were struggling, one of whom is no longer here, and it features some powerful lyrics, such as “And it wasn’t ‘til you left the planet/That I started checking in with myself” and “Ever since I lost the chance to make it right/I’m finding ways of keeping you alive.” A lot of time has passed, and it is now that she is able to look back, to put things into perspective, and also to look forward to a time when she might see this person again. “I think you’d like the kind of person I’m becoming.” The EP concludes with “The Key,” a pretty love song, featuring a string arrangement by Christian Matthew Cullen. “I feel it in me even when we’re apart/Such a grateful captive/Waiting for you to return.”

CD Track List

1. Starting Over
2. There You Are
3. Your Wind
4. Wolf Cried Boy
5. Right Here
6. Down The Road
7. The Key

Ascend was released on June 25, 2021.