Rondi Charleston
Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
Motema Records
www.motema.com
By George W. Harris

I don’t know if vocalist Rondi Charleston was ever in a folk group, but she’s got a folksinger’s sensibilities. She has a natural sense of being able to deliver a story through her inflection and dynamics that makes her akin to Sandy Denny or Judy Collins, which make sense in that she does an impressive reading of their famous song for the title track. Teamed up with Dave Stryker/g, James Genus/b, Dlarence Penn/dr, Lynne Arriale/p, Brandon McCune/p and Mayra Casales/perc, Charleston handles standards like “Wave” and “I Hear Music” with joyful grace. Her own material describe adventures and tourneys, such as in “Land Of Galilee” or the exposed nerve “Your Spirit Lingers.” Like every good musician, she “tells a story” both in sound and lyric. Impressive release by someone you’ll want to hear more from.