Category: Folk (Page 13 of 23)

Sam & Ruby: The Here and the Now

September 4, 2009 /

Like many classic couples before them – Marvin and Tammi, Johnny and June, Gram and Emmylou – Sam Brooker and Ruby Amanfu make music that affirms their mutual affection. Nevertheless, this pair navigates a wide divide, from the seductive soul of “Too Much” and “Ain’t Love Something” to the rootsier realms of “The Suitcase Song” and “Need Me Less.” While most of the songs dabble in softer hues, the supple arrangements – a hint of violins on “Heaven’s My Home,” a bit of brass on the aforementioned “Too Much” – vary the shadings and add to the allure. Although The Here and the Now marks the duo’s debut, one of its entries – “Heaven’s My Home” – garnered a Grammy nod and was also selected for the soundtrack to “The Secret Life of Bees.” If The Here and the Now is any indication, Sam & Ruby have a promising future.

Sam and Ruby MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Pop

Tim Easton: Porcupine

August 28, 2009 /

After four albums of portraying himself as the sensitive singer/songwriter type, Tim Easton returns to his roots and offers up a kinetic collection of jittery, frayed and unhinged rock ‘n’ roll clearly designed to usurp any more melodic impressions. As its title implies, Porcupine is embossed with a jagged edge and a prickly sensibility, given there’s only two actual ballads to speak of – “Stone’s Throw Away” and “Long Cold Night in Bed” – and they’re a moribund selection at that. “Seventh Wheel” offers the most orthodox attempt at conveying purely catchy choruses, but the rest of the set comes across as a cache of edgy, agitated, insurgent leanings, with at least a pair of tracks – “Get What I Got” and “Baltimore” specifically – suggesting that Easton may have sourced his inspiration from two of rock’s better-known procurers of angst and outrage, John Lennon and Steve Earle, respectively. And speaking of influences, it’s hard to avoid the comparisons churned through “Northbound,” a deft reflection of Creedence Clearwater Revival in early swamp-infested mode. Still, Easton also manages to maintain his knack for pointed – and poignant – observation, via what ultimately gels as the album’s standout selection, “Broke My Heart.” “There are only two things left in this world / Love and the lack thereof,” he sings, oozing a combination of resolve and recognition.
Fortunately, for all its unsettled, topsy-turvy miasma, Easton finds some stability residing at the heart of this foreboding beast.

Tim Easton MySpace page

Americana, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Melodramatic, Rock

Heather Kropf: Hestia

July 17, 2009 /

The opening track of Heather Kropf’s Hestia, titled “Joy Comes Like the Morning,” sneaks up on you slowly, with Kropf’s quiet, understated vocals buffeted gently by a lovely piano melody and some minimal steel guitar fills. There isn’t an ounce of flash in the track; it rises and falls purely on the strength of Kropf’s gifts as a songwriter and performer, much like Hestia itself – which is both a blessing and a curse. When it comes to the album’s stronger cuts, like “Morning” and the Laurel Canyon-tinged “Downtown” and “Kite,” Kropf presents herself as a bewitching blend of Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega, contrasting innocent-sounding vocals with pensive melodies and occasionally world-weary lyrics – but her inordinate fondness for sleepy melodies and plodding tempos leaves much of Hestia teetering between tasteful and dull. Kropf says her songs function as sanctuaries – for herself and, hopefully, for others – and there’s no denying the warm, cozy feel of this album, or Kropf’s gift for spinning deceptively simple webs of delicate sound. The end result is a record that feels as light as a feather, and may leave your attention wandering for songs at a time, but one that nonetheless leaves an unmistakable imprint. (Heather Kropf 2009)

Heather Kropf MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Pop

Elizabeth & the Catapult: Taller Children

June 26, 2009 /

What do you get when you cross a classically trained but independently minded pianist with two folk/rock instrumentalists? You get a Joni Mitchell/Aimee Mann/Jenny Lewis hybrid, which is probably accurate when describing the music of New York City based trio Elizabeth & the Catapult. This jazzy alt-pop trio, fronted by singer Elizabeth Ziman, released an EP on their own in 2006 and then created enough of a buzz through touring that they were courted by major labels. But they ultimately signed with indie Verve Forecast, and the guess here is so that the group could maintain creative control, which is a good thing for all of us. Their full length debut, Taller Children, has two of the group’s best tracks from the EP, the bouncy and snarky “Momma’s Boy” and the dreamy, Jill Cunniff-ish “Right Next to You.” But there’s much more, with the rest of the LP continuing to jump between bouncy and dreamy, but Ziman and her cohorts deliver it all with precision and pizazz. Other standouts are the uber catchy title track, melancholy “Rainiest Day of Summer” and quirky “Everybody Knows.” (Verve Forecast 2009)

Elizabeth & the Catapult MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Rock

Various Artists: Twenty First Century Twenty First Year

June 12, 2009 /

It may have seemed like just another example of dilettantism from a major star during the late ‘80s – a time when Amnesty International tours were all the rage and the Top 40 was stuffed with globetrotting music from Sting, Paul Simon, and Peter Gabriel – but 21 years later, David Byrne’s Luaka Bop is not only still around, it’s an inspirational example for anyone hoping to establish a boutique label. Known primarily as an outlet for releases from Byrne-approved “world music” artists like Zap Mama, Luaka Bop has actually been a more eclectic imprint than most people have given it credit for, something highlighted in the label’s new anniversary compilation, Twenty First Century Twenty First Year. You get the expected stuff – like Byrne’s tastes, the set skews toward South American and Afro-Caribbean grooves, offering booty-shaking cuts from Moreno +2, and Los Amigos Invisibles and some fine Shuggie Otis – but Twenty First is also careful to remind you that the label has provided a home for artists as diverse as Geggy Tah and Jim White. It all adds up to a solid hour of eclectic music that, like the label itself, is more interested in showing you a good time than proving how hip it is. And it succeeds, too – with the exception of Geggy Tah’s “Whoever You Are,” which should be locked in a lead-lined vault and fired into space, these tracks will make a fine addition to your next barbecue playlist, and it’s a fine introduction to the label in the bargain. (Luaka Bop 2009)

Luaka Bop MySpace page

Adult Contemporary, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Latin, Pop, Rock

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