Joe Firstman - War of Women CD

War of Women CD music Every once in a while a singer/songwriter comes down the pike in the grand emotive tradition of Neil Young and Van Morrison. In the early 2000s, the quietly intense folk of Iron & Wine and the rootsy-experimental stylings of Sufjan Stevens continued that lineage. Ray LaMontagne, whose impressive 2004 debut, TROUBLE, draws on alt-country, roots rock, and progressive folk in a unique, strikingly sincere way, seems a likely candidate for the keeper of the flame. The title track, which opens the album, introduces LaMontagne's deeply textured singing. Simultaneously raw, lilting, and expansive, LaMontagne's voice bristles with emotion, and immediately commands the listener's attention. Though the instrumentation on the album rarely changes--strummed acoustic guitar, tasteful string arrangements, bass, drums, and electric guitar for accents--the moods shift subtly from song to song. "Burn" is harrowingly intimate and hushed, while "How Come" works a shuffling groove and "Hold You in My Arms" has a wistful, waltz-like feel. LaMontagne's lyrics, strong on narrative detail and vivid imagery, are the crowning touch on these moving songs of love and loss. TROUBLE is so well realized, in fact, that it sometimes belies the truth that this is the artist's first effort. All original hot jazz, bebop, and a few musical surprises bombard the listener in this long-awaited release from Philadelphia-based multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, "Crazy" Christopher. Christopher performs on vocals, trumpet, cornet, trombone, piano, and drums, with some help on other instruments from fellow music-makers. Recording information: Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA. Illustrator: Jason Holley. Personnel: Ray LaMontagne (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Ray LaMontagne; Roger Wilke, Roger Wilkie (violin); Ethan Johns (guitar, piano, harmonium, bass guitar, drums, percussion); ...

War of Women buy CD music There's a lot about Kim Richey's Rise that is intriguing. All of it seems to circle around the balancing of playful and contemplative moods. The lyrics, the instrumentation, the arrangements -- all are means to that intriguing end. She sits a song that reminisces about the greatest show on Earth ("The Circus Song") right next to a haunting ballad that struggles peacefully to hold on to the memories of a love affair ("Fading.") The mood shifts dramatically between the two, but it's OK. It's real. It's so much how a heart beats and how a mind thinks that you don't really notice. The timing of an album's release is always interesting to watch as well. In the same way Sheryl Crow's C'mon C'mon was a perfect spring/summer listen, Rise hitting the streets in October can't have been a coincidence. The crisp air and shimmering colors of autumn bleed into the quietude and introspection of winter in the same seamless way these songs flow into one another. The really cool thing is that these tunes are a total grab-bag of styles, rhythms, and attitudes, like a game of musical Tetris being played from track to track. Producer Bill Bottrell guides the pieces with a careful and creative hand, making each song excitingly unpredictable, both individually and as part of the collective soundscape. If you've never heard Richey's work, come on in, the water's perfect. If you have heard her previous efforts, forget what you know (no matter what that is) and dive in too. Rise is sure to please even the most fickle listener. ~ Kelly McCartney Features guests Chuck Porphet and Pete Droge. Produced by Bill Bottrell. Recorded at William's Place Studio, Caspar, California. Personnel: Kim Richey (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Pete Droge (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar); Bill Bottrell (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, bouzouki, harmonica, melodica, piano, harmonium, Farfisa, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, mini-Moog synthesizer, drums, background vocals); Chuck Prophet (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, percussion); Roger Fritz (electric guitar, piano); Birdie (piano, vibraslap, percussion). Recording information: William's Place Studio, Caspar, CA. Photographer: James Minchin. Personnel: Kim Richey (vocals, acoustic guitar, sound effects); Bill Bottrell (acoustic & electric guitars, pedal steel guitar, banjo, bouzouki, strings, melodica, harmonium, Wurlitzer organ, Hammond B-3 organ, Mini-Moog synthesizer, keyboards, samples, background vocals); Chuck Prophet (acoustic guitar, bouzouki); Pete Droge (electric guitar); Roger Fritz (electric guitar, piano); Birdie (bass, vibraslap, washtub, percussion); Brian McLeod (drums, tambourine, percussion); Kim Richey (background vocals).