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Suddenly Tammy is mainly Pennsylvania singer and pianist Beth Sorrentino,
whose arty, pensive songs are reminiscent of both
Natalie Merchant and Carole King.
The trio debuted with the four-song EP Spokesmodel (1991).
Suddenly Tammy (SpinArt, 1993) is a promising debut, especially in
intimate and doleful litanies like Lamp and
Stacey's Trip.
Great singing, terrific playing, weak lyrics
(The Way Up, Babee, No Respect Girl,
Can't Decide, Disease, Mt. Rushmore).
We Get There When We Do (Warner Bros, 1995) falls prey to
pop temptations and downright pretentiousness, especially since this time
the playing is not rescuing the lyrics.
However, it includes such
understated gems as Beautiful Dream and Not That Dumb,
besides the highly visible Hard Lesson.
Sorrentino's best belongs to a vein that has been explored in the 1970s
by such austere folksingers as Joni Mitchell and Carole King
(Flemen, Mark Of Man, Supersonic,
Snowman, River Run).
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