Pick of Adelaide's music crop
Fruit
Fruit
produced by Tony Nesci and Fruit
Reviewed by Melanie Sjoberg
The 1995 Victor Harbour Folk Festival was dominated by the exciting sound of a new band called Fruit. The marquee was packed and encores demanded.
Fruit's formation came out of a spontaneous session in June 1995, when these six young women took to the stage. Initially, knowledge of the band's remarkable talents was shared amongst the regular supporters of SCALA (Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association) who perform regularly on Wednesday nights at the Office in Adelaide.
Since then, Fruit have played around the music scene of Adelaide, including the International Women's Day dance in March 1996 and support for Angelique Kidjo in September. They played a benefit for Amnesty International on December 8.
Their combined and individual awards are testimony to the diversity of young talent that blends into the band. In the 1996 South Australian Music Industry Awards, Fruit won the Most Outstanding Release; Most Outstanding Instrumentalist (Mel Watson) and Most Outstanding Bass Player (Jenna Bonavita).
Their music is described as a fusion of styles and influence from acoustic, funk, blues, pumped up and laid back. The sound is clear and refreshing, with perhaps the most exciting element being the strong brass influence of Watson.
Each member makes a strong vocal contribution, which ensures that the music on the album is invigorating. My favourites are "Been There Done That" — for anyone who has ever wondered why they are recreating scenes in their lives — "Forever Young" and "Finally", which rejoices in the recognition of freedom and independence.