Pink Martini
Hey Eugene!
Heinz, 2007

By Nicholas Nocketback

6 languages, 16 Band Members, 1 Dope Album

If you ever wanted an album you could play all the way through that would make your party guests think you were way cooler than you really are, this is it.
Pink Martini was formed in 1994 by Thomas Lauderdale. The Portland, Oregon based band has been referred to as an ultra-lounge, neo-big band that stretches far beyond the range of the blues and grays in the nursing home—this is lounge for the lusty. Nonetheless, if I was to compare Pink Martini to anyone else, I’d say they’re a cross between Ozomotli, Rilo Kiley, and Basha.
Vocalist China Forbes offers a combination of classic standards including “Dosvedanya Mio Bombino” and a haunting and heart melting production of “Tea for Two” with Jimmy Scott. Eclectic in every sense of the word, each tune is as different from the previous—this is due in large part because Forbes belts out songs in Arabic, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and a bit of English among others.
Hey Eugene! is certainly a progression from Pink Martini’s earlier work and has also the charm and delightfully poppy orchestral complements as 1997’s Sympathique. It is worth every penny (which only adds up to $9.99 on the ol’ iTunes account). Further, the album—unlike many others available for download—comes with a 9 page PDF digital booklet which offer black and white performance photographs, band philosophies and thanks, as well as all lyrics translated in English as well as their original script.
If any of this review sparks an interest, or you want to check it out to spite me, sample these titles: “City of Night”, “Hey Eugene”, “Tea for Two”, and “Taya Tan”. I do hope you expand your musical canon by getting this album, I guarantee it’s not only a great piece you can listen to from track one to thirteen, but it’ll also very likely get you some ass.