DEBRA COWAN
Among Friends
Muzzy Music MHM812
* * * *
Here’s a CD that worth ordering online (dcowan@DebraCowan.com). The life of an
independent folk musician is such a peripatetic one that performers delight in
those tour stops that welcomed you like a family member. One of
Massachusetts-based singer Debra Cowan’s favorite haunts is the Bacca Pipes
Folk Club in West Yorkshire, England. Back in 2012 she decided to make a
homespun live album, Among Friends, which
she mostly sells just at her shows and online. For those unfamiliar with the
concept, folk clubs once proliferated though, alas, they are increasingly rare
these days. Think a organized version of a house concert in that they book
entire seasons rather than one-off events, but they have the same intimacy as
house concerts. That is to say, performers generally play before dozens rather
than multitudes and those in attendance are hardcore devotees of acoustic
music.
Among Friends is
typical of folk club offerings––a few well known traditional songs (“Darlin’
Corey,” “Star in the East”), a few covers, lots of audience participation, and
easy interaction between performers and spectators. Cowan has a big voice––one
that can make you quake without instrumentation. Her take on “Darlin’ Corey” is
one of my favorites of that old chestnut. We also hear her being a bit silly on
her piratical cover of Jerry Bryant’s “The Dreadnaught Mutiny,” and in prodding
the audience into a faux opera refrain on “Good Fish Chowder.” One of the
crucial elements of cultivating a home away from home is knowing what’s
important to locals. West Yorkshire was once a British mining and industrial
center and retains strong working-class identity. There are several fine labor
songs on this collection, including covers of two John O’Connor songs––“A Cold
Day in November” and “Carpal Tunnel.” Two other standouts are “The Great Fast
Food Strike,” the inspiring tale of how six Ohio McDonald’s workers stood up to
the tyrannical clown who managed their shop; and “Dad’s Dinner Pail,” a nostalgic
remembrance of shop culture.
Call this one a small gem––one as unpretentious as, well, a
well-established folk club filled with locals that cherish a pleasant night of
song. --Rob Weir
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