Ivy York -- Ivy York

by Frank Gualtier -- 08/20/06, 08/27/06, 08/14/06

Soften the lights, turn up the volume, and put away that book.

Ivy York's highly anticipated self titled debut album is finally here and tapping at your window. It wants in and it wants to play.

If you put on some cocoa I'll tell you what to expect when you peel off the wrapper and open it up.

Within this LP lies a collection of satin lace ambient emotive rock songs with a retro vibe sandwiched between a dreamy breathing intro that glides into your chest and snuggles like a comforter around your heart and an unlisted and equally dreamy outro on keys that gently weans you off the narcotically euphoric beauty of all you've just experienced. Long enough at least to catch a breath before you find yourself hopelessly in love and diving back in again and again...

At the risk of being arrested by the 'redundant word usage police' I think the best single word descriptor for both Ivy's voice and the music she writes is 'dreamy'. It works both as a literal and for it's retro usage connotations. Her pipes are harmonically rich with a smokiness that colors the high end in a way that verges on bubbly. Through this amazing instrument she channels the contents of her open heart and a worlds worth of identifiable emotion.

Depending on who you're with (or not with) you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find visions of memories not yet made and those now distant. If you don't like music in your head or in your heart you are in eminent danger of feeling something -- apply your safety gear now and step back behind the blue line.

The primary sound is that of a four piece band with piano -- retro "oohs" and "ahs" included. And while the music can really kick a beat at times it's never harsh. Two things I especially like are the extra emphasis on acoustic guitar relative to what I've heard on previous Ivy York demos and the use of more synth in a smartly musical manner which yields just a hint of a Moody Blues vibe at times. At other times it suspends a tension that drives the music deep inside -- it's almost as if it's issuing from you rather than to you.

As is always the case with Ivy York the production is sublime and exhibits skill in console continuity mastering that in and of itself is a work of art.

This album is breathtaking start to finish -- an emotive masterpiece of retro rock made fresh by the truly unique sound of Ivy York. Two thumbs up to a work that far exceeded my high expectations.

For more on Ivy York see my May 8, 2006 review.

The Ivy York CD can currently be purchased via her myspace profile -- click the image below.



And is now available at CD Baby -- see links below.

Links for Ivy York:

• MySpace (Purchase the CD here)
  
• CD Baby -- Ivy York
  
• Video -- In Your Arms
  
• Touring the Indies -- Ivy York
  
• Touring the Indies -- SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR
  

Beth Waters -- This Little Piggy

by Frank Gualtier -- 08/09/06

For current fans of Beth Waters and those myspace folk that happen upon her profile it's no secret she has a new album coming out this fall. It's an eleven track disc called This Little Piggy containing ten original songs along with a cover of Paul Simon's 1977 hit Slip Slidin' Away.

Most people immediately remark about Beth's "comforting" voice or her piano arrangements and playing (to which adjectives I've seen the likes of "muscular" to "poignant" applied) and to her songwriting skills in general. I personally almost always find myself first drawn to music by it's rhythm. I heard this first in the bass lines of her music. Very tight with percussion and very often melodic enough to stand on their own. Along with the other rhythmic elements they reach out and they grab me like invisible hands and pull me into the music. Her voice then paints vivid and poetic images in an intimate way -- as if I'm being told secrets just for me.

This Little Piggy continues these trends and furthers them. The very first track on the album, White Dogs in the Moonlight, immediately whisks you off as though part of the ether looking down and incorporeally witnessing the tale she weaves. From the outset the pros are striking --

"White dogs in the moonlight
following footsteps through the night
Over the bridge she runs barefoot and cold in her nightgown
Her feet don't touch the ground"

-- and the entire album is saturated with such well made verse.

My favorite song on the album is Dark Road to Hell.

Dark Road to Hell takes a look at the conflicting schism between self affirmation and self indulgence. The ambiance is masterfully set by the tempered pace of large resounding latin jazz style percussion syncopated in a variant of tango. There's an underscoring of bass and upon this rhythm forms a breathy muted brass scorched (Mancini style) canvas. Tense -- dark. The opening verse "On the dark road to hell they ask you lots of questions / Were you good to yourself / Did you follow your dreams" paints itself upon that canvas in eerily carefree brush strokes. These contrast in how they're sung and thus further underscore the confliction.

Another rhythmically noteworthy song is the rumba (or variant) patterned Afraid of Love. I'm excited about these syncopated latin jazz styles Beth has incorporated into this album.

Probably the breakout song for this album and one that is going to be talked about the most is the title track This Little Piggy. It's a disturbing tale told in first person from the perspective of the protagonist. I'll feed you some verse:

"...
Gotta keep it quiet I can't make a sound
I die my hair black cause my Mother's a blonde
...
I look so strange now not like myself
This little piggy is going to hell
I don't know nobody I trust enough to tell
He said he'd kill me and I'm sure that he will
...
Worry about my Sister she's so young and he's so strong
Think that when I leave here I'll take her along"

It tells itself -- not much I can add.

And there's plenty more and but I'd be here for pages trying to capture just half of it.

With regards to arrangement/instrumentation I like what she's done with such instruments as the kalimba (aka Thumb Piano) which is heard in This Little Piggy. She matches sounds and beats to music and poetry in ways that all things compliment one another. She's a master of arrangement.

Finally, this is one hell of a good album -- even for someone as accomplished and talented as Beth Waters. From the songwriting to the performing to the production it's rock solid. Look for the pre-release exclusively on iTunes Sept 12th (2006) and keep an eye on Beth's website and/or her myspace profile for news on the CD hardcopy release Sept 26th.

Links for Beth Waters:

• Website
  
• MySpace
  
• How to Buy Hardcopy of Over The Tide
  
• CD Baby -- Beth Waters
  
• iTunes
  

Danni Carr -- 47 Miles

by Frank Gualtier -- 07/31/06

The other day I was expounding on the Canadian bred americana phenomenon. Today I'm finding extraordinary blues in Australia.

Combine the sweetly rugged voice and bluesy spirit of Danni Carr with the more metal biased ways of guitarist Michael Tricarico and what do you get? 47 Miles of excellent rock music with a bluesy/folksy feel that has guts. Danni also plays guitar, harmonica and percussion -- very talented.

They currently have two songs from their album 47 Miles up on their myspace profile that you can download -- Old Man and Knock Your Head. They're described as a collaboration that explores a "bluesy and swampy sound". I love that description -- especially the word "swampy" because it's so fitting of the lush liquid guitar sounds which find chops in slide and humidified overdrive. You know -- "swampy".

Old Man is slightly reminiscent of the Trespassers William songs Lie in the Sound and Different Stars as far as the feel of the music goes. That liquid sound is further enhanced with a good dose of tremolo throughout.

Knock Your Head is exactly what you'd expect to hear if you just listened to Old Man and the next title you saw was Knock Your Head. More of an equally emphasized thomp two three four beat with Danni singing "You'll knock your head! You'll move your feet. You'll clap your hands! You'll move your feet." I'm working on a double ear infection today but I'm pretty sure I got those lyrics correct despite the swamp in my head.

Treat your ears and give Danni Carr and 47 Miles a listen.

Links for Danni Carr:

• Website
  
• MySpace
  
• 47 Miles -- musicplug.net
  

Ali Bartlett

by Frank Gualtier -- 07/28/06

It was Mark Collins of the Live365 Internet Radio station Women of the '90S who pointed me in the direction of Ali Bartlett. He's a man on a mission not so unlike my own. He set an awful high bar this time.

It seems lately every time I hear something I'd swear was steeped in the American heartland it turns out to be americana by way of Canadian blood. Ali Bartlett exemplifies this as her Canadian veins are flowing rich with americana song. As well she has one of those once in a lifetime heard exemplary voices. A voice that is intoxicating to the point of near wreckless abandon and so mesmerizing I think she might stop a few hearts.

It's a smoky voice -- near the Rachael Yamagata neighborhood -- with a tone color somewhere between Gileah Taylor and Tanya Tucker. It's one of the most uniformly textured voices I've ever heard and very full. When she sings the "ment" of "judgment" (nearly spoken) in the song radiant the lushness of it nearly cuts you in half.

The songs that were on her myspace player when I arrived were Alright By Me, Common Criminals, Lay Me Down, and Radiant -- the last of which features Melissa McClelland on backing vocals.

Much to my surprise I found out that she writes her own music and the songs I heard were her own. The surprise was justified and I think you'll agree because it's rare to find either a voice or music of this high a caliber. To find both dwelling in the same person? The odds must astronomically disfavor such phenomenon.

My favorite song is Lay Me Down. It oozes acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin (barebones bluegrass band minus fiddle) drenched americana spirit. It's got a soft.2.3.hard.2.3 rushed catch-up rhythm that I swear projects scenery right out of a small calm in a big storm of the depression and dustbowl era American deep south. Like many songs that actually were from 1930's America it sings idealistically with the chorus "lay me down -- won't you stay here beside me -- your wandering heart -- found". If we're not on the same page try listening to the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou? This song would have fit nicely with the overall flavor I believe.

She definitely covers more territory but the orbital path seems to be centered around americana and folk with flavors dictated by how far she strays into the alt-* / progressive-* space.

I'd bet a large sum that were she to put out an album comprised entirely of her songs it would be one of those "not a single weak track" affairs.

Finally -- she seems always to sound a bit somber regardless of the mood. I think it's just how she chews her words with that lush smoky voice. Ali herself calls it "optimistically sad". She nailed it.

Click here and to listen to her. Go encourage her. Go tell her you love her music and you want more.

Ivy York -- SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR?

by Frank Gualtier -- 07/19/06

SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK STAR?

First note the Johhny Lang 'early days' coiff and snarl.

Next take a gander at the comfortable footwear and trenchcoat holding up that stance -- a must for those physics defying matrix style mic lean-ins.

Finally the sound. I have it on authority that Ivy York is nearly finished with her new album! Get ready because soon you'll be able to buy it and hear what a rock star sounds like!

Go visit Ivy York for a preview and listen to her new song Not The Last Time.

---

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Ivy York
In Your Arms

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