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Barely 30 years old, and Inara George already enjoys a rich heritage of music-making. Best known as the other half of Blue Note duo the Bird & the Bee, with producer/writer whiz kid Greg Kurstin, George is also the daughter of one of rock 'n' roll's great unsung heroes, Lowell George of Little Feat.

Now Inara takes her second solo bow, accompanied by another L.A. legend, Van Dyke Parks. The lyricist behind Brian Wilson's masterpiece Surf's Up (as well as arranging work with the Beach Boys, Harry Nilsson, the Byrds, and Joanna Newsom), Parks is a quantifiable character whose flowery vision often expressed through gifted wordplay and colorful sonics makes for memorable listening. But does it work with Inara's equally florid vocal tones?

First, some history.

Back in the '70s, when gas was cheap, everyone recorded to reel to reel tape, and the desert was an empty, unpopulated expanse, Lowell George and Van Dyke Parks were great friends. When Inara was born in 1974, Van Dyke was among the friends and family who welcomed her into the world. And even after the death of her father in 1979, Inara and Van Dyke stayed in touch throughout the years.

Inara has recently found her way as a member of the Bird & the Bee and with the release of her first solo album, All Rise. So when Inara began writing songs for her second solo outing, a possible collaboration between her and Parks finally coalesced. After months of preparation, an orchestra was assembled and recorded in a two-day live session at L.A.'s historic Sunset Sound studios, with Van Dyke Parks at the helm.

"There are different characters in each piece, but it all feels like a connected event," states Parks in the record's PR blather. "There are certainly different scenes on the record, and that's what I like. And I think that takes real talent, as a writer, to fictionalize a reality the way Inara has done."

An Invitation is a lush pop cornucopia of Hollywood inspired loveliness. Recalling gorgeous art deco architecture, Jean Harlow, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, the old Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the glamour of 1940s LA, the album's dazzling orchestral arrangements paired with Inara's evocative vocals are both tranquil and thought provoking, all encompassed in a halo of bliss.  

"There was more love going through the glass with Inara and Van Dyke than any other record I've worked on," says producer Mike Andrews. "It was a family love. Very real." Enjoy this family affair.

Inara George with Van Dyke Parks
"Duet" (mp3)
from "An Invitation"
(Everloving)

More On This Album

Inara George with Van Dyke Parks
"Accidental" (mp3)
from "An Invitation"
(Everloving)

More On This Album

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