Shana Scudder

On the Way

admin — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:46:00 +0000

Moore was one of many women who benefited from the movement in music that Lilith Fair generated, bringing many unknown female artists to the forefront of the public’s consciousness. There are traces of the peppy pop-sensibility that earned Moore her fame with her hit single “Four-Leaf Clover,” but On the Way is a more mature and introspective endeavor. Moore’s innocent, lilt in her voice occasionally breaks with emotion in a somewhat prescribed manner.

Her musical arrangements flow gracefully with her vocals, as in the opening track, “Into the Sunset,” where gentle beats complement her soft style. “On the Way” is definitely the standout track of the album. It has a gorgeous, loping melody that conjures up the warm heaviness of seduction. Moore takes us with her into her lover’s bedroom and brings us into the colors and sensations of a path that maybe is new, possibly familiar, but perfect in this moment’s anticipation.

Much of this album contains personal themes of regret, centering and loss. “Take Care of Me” exemplifies this and touches on the need to be cared for when taking care of someone else, as Moore did for her father in his last days. On the Way is an album for open car windows on a night’s drive, a summer porch in the evening and a glass of wine by the fire. Moore gently encourages the listener to take care of herself, while her smooth melodies further encourage evenings of quiet comfort and rest.

Written by: Shana Scudder, July 15th 2007

Children Running Through

admin — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 19:40:00 +0000

By Patty Griffin

ATO Records

Patty Griffin is a storyteller. Rarely confessional or self-indulgent, she tells tales, assumes personas and takes the listener deep into the lives of her characters. Each persona has her or his own musical interpretation, deepening and strengthening the voice. In “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song),” Griffin assumes the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and puts herself into to the head and heart of a man working for a vision and a dream.

Hope seems to be a theme on this latest effort, Children Running Through as is travel. “Stay on the Ride” has a man riding the bus day in and day out because “it’s gonna take me somewhere.” Griffin takes some musical risks and periodically diverges from her comfortable style, as in the jazzier tones of the opening track, “You’ll Remember,” and the gospel-infused strains of “Heavenly Day” and “Up to the Mountain.” “Trapeze” showcases a gorgeous duet with the master of harmonies, Emmylou Harris. Patty Griffin is an artist who has hit her stride and stayed there for years. This album proves her staying power and continued ability to move, inspire and entertain.

Written by: Shana Scudder, July 4th 2007

What the Mirror Said

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:31:00 +0000

By Jocelyn Arem

Restless Dragonfly Productions

Jocelyn Arem’s debut studio release greets us with all the freshness and promise of a new voice on the scene, but evidently someone who has been honing her craft for years. Arem released her debut demo in 2000, and kept her fans waiting for two more years for What the Mirror Said. Well worth the wait, this album displays Arem’s exquisite musical ability, intellect and literary sensibilities.

The album opens with two of several homages to her folk and literary predecessors with “Kerouac” and “Guthrie’s Lament.” In “Juarez,” Arem once again pays tribute to her folk and literary mothers (Eve Ensler and Holly Near) while educating her listeners and displaying her social and feminist consciousness. “Amaryllis” is another example of Arem’s poetic and metaphoric abilities. The Amaryllis is a flower that, if raised indoors, will bloom every year. The whole song seems to be a metaphor for this flower—the cycle of remaining dormant and being reborn.

“Serenade at Midnight” displays Arem’s ability to bring the listener into different landscapes as she takes us into train cars and taxicabs, evoking the feeling of the quiet, late-night ride home. She again displays her literary sensibility and musical inventiveness in “Love III,” which is music to the text of a poem of the same name by the 15th Century poet, George Herbert. The conclusion, “A Memory of You,” is a beautiful “goodnight” from this promising artist.

Written by: Shana Scudder, March 17th 2007

Engine EP

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 03:24:00 +0000

By Langhorne Slim

V2 Records

Langhorne Slim’s songs are deceptively simple, but if you listen to the words, they are anything but. Each song describes the nuances and complexities of human relationships. He breaks us right into this theme with “English Tea,” where he describes loving the details of someone, but not necessarily wanting to be with her. The standout track of this little gem comes in track two, “Restless”: “I packed a picnic lacking seriously on food/I had more wine than I knew what with to do.” Besides clever turns like this, you will be hard-pressed to get the hook of this song out of your head for days.

This EP does a fantastic job of displaying Slim’s musical diversity and range in just four tracks. “Honey Pie” even shows Slim getting down with some rockabilly and proving he can wail just as well as he can be sweet and mellow. The closing track, “Sweet Olive Tree,” shows us yet another style, that of the Gothic Appalachian folk tale recounting a crime of passion. With a new full-length album in the works, Engine EP is a nice teaser and definitely gives listeners something to look forward to in the coming months.

Written by: Shana Scudder, March 16th 2007

Dryland

admin — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 03:18:00 +0000

By Chris Pureka

Sad Rabbit Music

The intro of Dryland softly walks us into the quiet genius of Chris Pureka. She gracefully takes us through ordinary, heartbreaking, scenarios and conversations, beginning with “These Pages,” in which she perfectly describes a painful encounter with a past lover. Pureka even tackles the subject of death – a hard subject to cover without cliché, but there is not a hint of the trite in “So It Goes,” accompanied with a banjo-driven sweeping melody that will bring tears to your eyes.

Pureka’s voice has this tremulous, ephemeral quality that will make you stop breathing and listen closely and her guitar playing is as steady as an oncoming train, but ten times as gentle. Lyndell Montgomery, of Ember Swift fame, makes a guest appearance on “Momentary Thief,” adding the perfect touch of intensity with bass and violin. If you are a Gillian Welch fan, you will be far from disappointed with Pureka’s rendition of “Everything is Free.” The title track, “Dryland,” falls at the end, taking us out with just Pureka’s guitar and vocals, highlighting her lyrical mastery, subtly gorgeous voice and the structural simplicity that allows it all to shine through.

Written by: Shana Scudder, March 11th 2007

Mission Rejected: U.S. Soldiers Who Say No to Iraq

admin — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 12:42:00 +0000

By Peter Laufer

Chelsea Green Publishing

Mission Rejected explores the lives and motivations behind soldiers who have refused to serve in Iraq—either by finding a way out before their tours began or by returning home, devastated by what they saw in the desert and finding ways not to return when called. The first half of the book deals with soldiers who have actually gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave) fleeing to Canada while the second half of the book portrays soldiers who have found other ways of being released from their commitment to fighting, such as filing for Conscientious Objector (CO) status. Laufer takes on a broad interpretation of what it means to reject the war in Iraq and includes stories of would-be soldiers, who never even got as far as basic training before opting out of military service. The common theme among the soldiers who actually did serve is that once they were in Iraq, they saw the futility of the war and felt as if they were just there killing innocent civilians for no reason at all. One of the most disturbing elements of the soldiers’ accounts is how similar they are. The soldiers were sent to Iraq where they saw their fellow "freedom fighters" killing innocent civilians without compunction. They saw right away that there were no "weapons of mass destruction," or even many weapons at all. They saw that the US-led coalition was there raping and pillaging a very poor country that has virtually no means to defend itself. They saw the futility, the rage and the hopelessness in the Iraqi people we were supposedly "liberating," so they exercised their right of will and conscience and got out. Laufer paints a picture of men and women who are heroes in the truest sense, because they dared to think for themselves and opted out of a situation that compromised every value they had learned as citizens of this country, and as human beings.

Written by: Shana Scudder, November 27th 2006