| DIY Top 12 Picks: June 2006 by Mare Wakefield |
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In support of the independent spirit of songwriters who have
released a CD without the backing of a label.
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Beth Amsel
The Reverie
Upon first listen, you might be tempted to label Colorado resident Beth Amsel’s music as folk-pop in the style of Dar Williams. You wouldn’t be wrong, but Amsel also has a depth that will surprise you.
 The Reverie marks Amsel’s first solo record since her stint as a member of Voices on the Verge along with fellow songstresses Erin McKeown, Rose Polenzani and Jess Klein. The record takes listeners on a journey through many different musical styles. “Michigan” is the poppiest number, bemoaning the trials of long-distance love. On “End of July” Amsel sings of loving someone, “bones and all.” Dreamy harmonies and tambourine join multiple guitars, giving the tune a ‘60s pop flavor, á la the Byrds. “Come Up” has the feel of a ‘30s swing tune. “I think it’s alright if you’ve got the time,” Amsel sings invitingly over the expert guitar work of producer pal Dave Chalfant. There’s even a cover of Duran Duran’s “The Chauffeur.” Well done in all, and well worth checking out.
www.bethamsel.org
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Datri Bean
Slow Down Summertime
Part cabaret, part picnic in the park—there’s really no better way to describe Datri Bean’s latest record. The Seattle resident’s sweet, sultry vocals will put a smile on your face before you even decipher the linguistic twister she poses with “Sweet Tea”: “Sweet tea, T&T, Tijuana, tea if you wanna.”
Sparse piano and smooth clarinet dance a dawdling tango while Bean invites you to “sing along with Lady Day” in “Slow Down Summertime.” Breathe deep and listen to organ and pedal steel waltz seductively with drums and mandolin throughout the entire album. Bean takes us through bread-scented kitchens, Texas rain and Big Jim’s Giant Truckstop in Nebraska, where “Love is God” is scratched in the table, and patrons drink coffee to medicate their brains.
Bean may remind you at times of Suzanne Vega or Edie Brickell, but Slow Down Summertime is a true original, and one that belongs in your collection.
www.datribean.com
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Blind Corn Liquor Pickers
Anywhere Else?
The Blind Corn Liquor Pickers play what can only be called rowdy, party-time bluegrass-rock. Banjos, mandolins and high, lonesome harmonies collide with rock beats and stories about bailing hay and horses “beat to hell and back.”
In “Bad Tom Smith” the Nashville-based group sings of bringing a killer to justice and inviting all the surrounding counties to watch the execution. “Hi-Ball on a Roll-By” combines fast and furious guitar picking with three-part harmonies and lyrics about a train with a “smokestack shootin’ coal dust to the sky.” Our personal favorite is the tune “Europe on $15 a Day,” detailing the story of a boy from West Kentucky traveling in his truck to nearby towns with European names. Glasgow, Athens and London are all on his itinerary, with wild and wacky adventures along the way. We haven’t checked his geography, but either way it makes for a heck of a ride.
www.blindcorn.com
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Brad Colerick
Cottonwood
Is there such a genre as acoustic alt-country? How about twang-folk? We may just have to create one for Brad Colerick. His latest offering, Cottonwood, incorporates elements of bluegrass and traditional country with intelligent, introspective lyrics.
“There’s a Light (Ode to June and John)” features dobro and acoustic guitar. “I want to feel alive again every minute of the day / Darlin’ if you hear me now, I think I’m on my way,” Colerick sings with an earnestness that can’t be faked.
The title track is a moody little waltz that uses fiddle and mandolin to set the tone for lyrics about the return of a perpetual wanderer. “The cottonwood tree sends a message to me that my heart will soon be safe at home.”
If you prefer a little poetry along with your pedal steel, this is the record for you.
www.bradcolerick.com
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Kristen Cothron
Love Letters From a Fool
“Rest in peace is for tombstones, desire is for the living,” Kristen Cothron sings in her opening track “Dangerous,” inspiring listeners to seize the day. The Nashville-based artist infuses her smoky, Fiona Apple–style vocals with an added cleverness and lyrical twists like her punchline on “High on the Blues,” “The only way I can be true to myself is to lie to you.”
Love Letters From a Fool proffers a full, bluesy sound complete with bass, drums and multiple electric guitars. Hammond organ can often be heard wailing in the background. Cothran displays a maturity and confidence that belies the fact that this is her first full-length album. Highlights include “Last Chance Girl” (“You’re not that good-looking, but I like the way you smoke your cigarette”) and the Western-noir of the title track. Have you been searching for music’s next bold bad girl? Cothron is the buried treasure you’re seeking.
www.kristencothron.com
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Julie Dougherty
The Sweet Unraveling
The movement of Joni Mitchell’s Hejira comes to mind as you experience the jangly guitar and expert electric bass-playing on Julie Dougherty’s latest release. Drums and percussion join in to keep things grooving as Dougherty’s vocals swing from gritty and solid to light and soaring.
Dougherty plays both acoustic and electric guitar on the record and shows a capable hand with both. Her songs are chock-full of images from a corporate man in his high-rise feeling “the burden of his Midas touch” in opener “Leap in the Dark” to “this populated solitude, where we walk our paths alone” in the title track.
Rich vocal harmonies and the occasional keyboard, flute or saxophone complete the sonic picture. Overall, a collection of songs that display the grace and mellow confidence of a professional musician doing her own unraveling and thoroughly enjoying herself.
www.juliedougherty.net
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Kate Gaffney
The New Then
There’s a distinct classic-rock vibe to Pennsylvania resident Kate Gaffney’s latest record. Her vocals are husky and reminiscent of lady rockers like Grace Slick and Chrissie Hynde, and she’s got the music to back up the comparison. There’s a Hammond organ, there’s a rippin’ guitar lead, there’s a powerful voice telling us about the bitter cold and rough roads—everything you need for a perfect rock album.
Highlights include “Lone Wolf,” in which Gaffney admits, “I wasn’t looking for love, I had convinced myself I’d had enough.” Some Creedence Clearwater–style swamp guitar propels the tune along. “Tired Wired” has a driving drum beat that guides listeners through Gaffney’s story of laying “my head in a gypsy tent after all my money’s spent.” Mandolin joins the mix but still makes way for wailing electric guitar.
Have you been wondering where all the cool rocker chicks have gone? Gaffney knows—and she’s not afraid to reveal it.
www.kategaffney.com
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Greta Gaines
Can't Kill the Flavor
Where do we begin with Greta Gaines? Her bio labels her a singer-songwriter, bandleader and extreme sportswoman. Her father invented paintball and her mother is a former Miss Alabama. Hunter S. Thompson hung out at her childhood home, and Uma Thurman was one of her classmates. She’s held the Women’s Extreme Snowboarding World Championship title and signed a major label deal with Giant Records (she was dropped when her label was bought out in a merger).
But even all these insider tidbits won’t prepare you for the adventure your ears are about to embark on. Gaines calls her style of music “hick-hop,” and we couldn’t have said it better. Imagine Massive Attack remixing Faith Hill and you might get an idea of her latest record, Can’t Kill the Flavor. Sweet country singing alongside hard-core, studio-manufactured beats. Highlights include the Sheryl Crow-esque “Blindsided” and the more melodic “Tenderhooks.” Cutting-edge has a flavor, and this is it.
www.gretagaines.com
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Tim Robinson
Money in the Woods
Tim Robinson sounds familiar. Not like Tom Petty or Lou Reed—though you may hear traces of them in his voice. Robinson actually sounds like family. His easy delivery falls onto your ears like the cadence of a long-lost brother or favorite uncle—someone you’ve been longing for and never get to see enough, someone with great stories, someone you love.
“Orelia’s Kiss” tells of the ultimate temptress. “Orelia’s whisper turns telephones red / Dreams of her hair burn holes in the beds of boys who were men till they danced with her,” sings Robinson, as slow drums and a mournful dobro flesh out the tale. Other highlights include the Dylan-esque “Wolfboy” (“I hunt for what I need, a wounded fawn, a windblown girl, a quiet place to sleep”) and the bluesy, road-house inspired “Living.”
Guest harmonies by Suzanne Vega and members of Ollabelle sweeten the sound, but Robinson’s songs and delivery stand strong, ready to be welcomed home.
www.myspace.com/timrobinsonsongs
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Ervin Stellar
Past, Tense
We can sum up Ervin Stellar’s latest release in one word: sensual. From good-time funk to mellow make-out music to pseudo-Brazilian sambas, Stellar will help you get your groove back.
Past, Tense opens with Stellar tickling the ivories like Billy Joel or Ben Folds. But just as you’re settling into what you think will be an album of piano pop, he launches into a funk beat that will get your head bopping faster than you can say, “Outta sight!” Stellar takes his vocals from a low Barry White into a Barry Gibb falsetto, punctuated with plenty of soulful “ooohs” and “mmmhmmms.” Lyrics are light and irreverent (“You gotta take a pill before you get on the plane so you can fly safe and not go insane”), letting the music take the lead.
Trust us when we say that this is the record you need to play at your next par-tay. But be careful; it’s hot!
www.ervinstellar.com
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Sugarplum Fairies
Country International Records
Nope, we didn’t mess up. Country International Records is actually the name of the latest offering from Vienna natives Sugarplum Fairies. The album has echoes of Mazzy Star and the Cowboy Junkies, but with a well-placed toy piano here and accordion there, bandmates Silvia Ryder and Ben Bohm have managed to create a sound that is distinct and refreshing.
“Villian of the Day” sees electric slide and acoustic guitar co-existing alongside a hip-hop beat. “Velcro Girl” is an original way of describing the archetypal clingy lover. The song is almost punk; overdriven guitars chug away while Ryder sings, “You wanna let go … now you’re stuck.” “First Love, Last Rites” eulogizes a time “when all of your prior restrictions have turned into brand-new addictions.”
A brilliant cover of U2’s “All I Want Is You” leads you to the obvious conclusion: All you want is this Country International record.
www.sugarplumfairies.com
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Kirsten Thien
You've Got Me
Solid production marks You’ve Got Me, the latest release from Kirsten Thien. Sparring verses on “See You Again” give way to a power pop chorus in the style of Sarah McLachlan or Christina Aguilera. “It might take some time to make love find its way back home,” she sings in a clear soprano that sails effortlessly above the pounding drums and wall of electric guitars.
“Thank You for Saying Goodbye” is another stellar track. Over a grooving Eric Clapton–style guitar lick Thien sings of healing and moving on. “I’m stepping out of your shadow and into the light.”
Thien’s got a great set of pipes, and she explores every note of her remarkable range on You’ve Got Me. She moves from Bonnie Raitt mellow to Aretha Franklin wailing high notes, but throughout the record she remains poised. On You’ve Got Me, Thien’s got you.
www.kirstenthien.com
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To Submit Your Album:
Please send CD, bio, mailing address and e-mail to:
Performing Songwriter
ATTN: DIY
2805 Azalea Place
Nashville, TN 37204
You will be contacted if your album has been chosen, so there is no need to call the office regarding this. Please be patient and continue to send us your new releases. We do listen to all submissions for DIY consideration.
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