ANNALIVIA
The Same Way Down
* * *
“Snag,” the midway point of Annalivia’s new nine-track
Kickstarter-funded CD, is an original tune from Flynn Cohen that sounds like
variations of the famed Irish tune “The Little Beggarman” as done by an
Appalachian string band. It encapsulates the ways in which this Boston-based
quartet blends Celtic, bluegrass, and Americana influences. Appropriately, the
album opens with “False Sir John,” a jaunty arrangement for two fiddles and Liz
Simmons’ sweet voice that’s a southern Appalachian variant of older English
ballad. The albums also closes with a traditional, “Turtle Dove,” which is
evocative of Alison Krauss’s cover of the gospel song “Down to the River to
Pray.” The Same Way Down often leaves
you wondering if you’re in Asheville or County Antrim. Fiddlers Emerald Rae and
Mariel Vandersteel have a definite flair for old-timey sounds, but mandolin/guitar
wizard Flynn likes to dislocate us. The “New Mown Meadow,” for instance, sounds
like something from Jay Ungar’s set list; that is, except for Cohen’s nouveau
Celtic bridge to the breakdown finish. Think you got him pegged? The very next
track finds Cohen singing “Bright Sunny South” and, title aside, it too is ambiguous–the
mood is south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but his lead is where a hint of twang
meets northern reediness.
This is a goes-down-easy album, which is both its strength
and, perhaps, a small drawback. Liz Simmons handles most of the songs and hers
is a voice of great beauty and delicacy. If “Restless for a While” reminds you
of Crooked Still, the effect is magnified by Aoife O’Donovan’s harmonies.
Simmons... Krauss… O’Donovan… Three glorious sopranos, but each is quiet, fragile,
and high. I’d like to see the band add Cohen’s voice into the mix more
dramatically to add contrast, especially to give grit to the harmonies and bite
to the darker songs. Even roses need thorns. --Rob Weir
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment