Music Reviews by Chris Roth
May
by Laura Kemp2004. CD available for $16 postpaid from Rain Water Records, PO Box 10032, Eugene, OR 97440, [email protected], www.laurakemp.com.
I suspect I have already exhausted my supply of superlatives in describing Laura Kemp's music over the past decade, and in the process have violated, many times, my current policy of not using comparative terms when assessing artistic merit. Nevertheless, what I wrote about her first CD, Volcano (1994), in an early Talking Leaves, still seems just as true to me today:
"Laura Kemp...has more talent as a singer-songwriter-musician than most nationally recognized recording artists, and Volcano is a better album than the vast majority of those I have heard, regardless of musical genre....It is fortunate for Eugeneans that her work has not yet been spoiled by commercialization....[She is] a keen observer of the human condition, splendidly gifted at transforming life into art through music, and helping others share in the experience."
Since then, with two more equally accomplished CDs, Corduroy (1997) and Alone (2000), and regular live appearances, she has continued to be arguably the most consistently well-loved performer on Eugene's folk singer-songwriter scene, winning a variety of honors including "Favorite Female Musician" virtually every year in Eugene Weekly's readers' poll. In a variety of configurations--with the Laura Kemp Band, Babes With Axes, Kemp-Kelley-Wakefield, in various duos, in songwriters-in-the-round appearances, and solo--she has used her beautiful voice, adept acoustic guitar work, harmonica, and occasional dobro or other instrument to bring a steady supply of fresh songs to audiences in Eugene and throughout the region. Many of us regular fans are familiar with at least two to three albums' worth of as yet unrecorded material by Laura, some of which her guitar students (including me) have learned to play even without any recordings to imitate.
Laura's eagerly anticipated new CD, May, goes a long way toward filling in the gaps in her recorded repertoire. But it does much more than that. A skillfully and beautifully assembled song cycle, it presents a cohesive whole, and sets a new standard for a Rain Water Records album. It surpasses even Laura's fine previous recordings in the quality of the performances, the depth and range of emotion and experience conveyed, the beauty and power of the music.
Laura's concerts never fail to be moving, satisfying, grounding experiences for me, reminding me of much of what's most important in my life. To achieve that effect on a CD is an ambitious feat, but Laura and her well-chosen array of guest musicians have accomplished it here. This disc preserves the immediacy and inspiration of Laura's songs while also reflecting a care and attention to musical detail likely to generate ongoing, lasting pleasure in even the most discriminating of listeners.
Some tracks, like "Sword Ferns and Salmonberries," are beautiful in the simplicity of the arrangement (just voice and banjo); others, like "Snow Returns," are intoxicating in the rich tapestry of sounds they weave from multiple instruments. Nearly all of the songs have something to do with land, the seasons, and/or weather, as well as with such themes as love, gardening, relationship, and personal feelings and choices.
Though I have never been to the specific place it describes, the wistful, haunting "Hannah Branch" evokes in me memories of many places I have loved and left. Sounding like an old-fashioned hoedown, the bluegrassy "In Time" celebrates surrender and transformation. "Rootless Way," a favorite in Laura's set list for ten years now, contemplates the roads that take many of us away from one another, in this culture and time in which geographic separation from friends and family can be the norm rather than the exception. "May," a song from Alone recorded here in a new arrangement, explores the emotional territory of many non-parents' perennial question: whether to remain childless when the desire to have a baby can be so strong. A bittersweet, evocative "Cold Comfort" shares the pain and paradox of a relationship that has gone sour. It serves as a reminder that we are all capable of being in the emotional and spiritual "pits," and (as the rest of the album proves) emerging to see the beauty even in that journey into darkness.
The upbeat "Love and Soil" follows, bringing together love of gardening and love of a person and distilling two complex arts into their essences: a willingness to embrace life. The funky, humorous, and touching "T.V. Song" should convince anyone to at least consider what home could be like without a T.V. set. The gently driving "Snow Returns" mixes some of the nostalgia of "Hannah Branch" with separation from a lover and the knowledge that "spring will bring on changes new." Like "Love and Soil," "Sword Ferns and Salmonberries" is inspired by the earth and by love. A cover of Kate Wolf's "The Lilac and the Apple" closes the album on a note similar to that which opened it--reflecting on the passage of time, changes, and the perennial presence of the land, whose readiness to nurture transcends generations.
These tracks feature, in various combinations, vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica (all provided by Laura, with Dennis Berck adding harmony vocals on one song), dobro (played by Sally VanMeter), mandolin and mandola (Steve Smith), banjo (Mark Thomas), fiddle (Roy Brewer), violin (David Burham), upright bass (Suzanne Pearce), fretless bass (T.R. Kelley), and drums and percussion (Brian West).
Among the hidden treats on May are a sly reference to Jimi Hendrix (can you find it?), a feline commentary on the proceedings (from Laura's cat Chumley), and, not-so-hidden, a wonderful cover painting by Julia Lynch. Co-producer Tony Kaltenberg contributed his musician's ear, studio finesse, and optimism in the face of a complete hard drive meltdown. As was said about Sgt. Pepper (to which Laura is, understandably, steadfastly resisting comparison, despite May's thematic and musical richness and the hundreds of hours poured into its creation)...a splendid time is guaranteed for all.
(I mean that literally: if you buy it on my recommendation and don't like it, I will pay you for it and find it a good home. I'm serious.)
Paper in the Wash
by Cindy Forslev2004. CD available from Cindy Forslev, Deadwood Creek Rd., Deadwood, OR 97430, [email protected] , www.cindyforslev.com .
This impressive debut album from Cindy Forslev--a Registered Nurse, Oregon Coast Range resident, and skilled singer-songwriter-guitarist--reflects her love of people, of nature, and of music. The lyrics are consistently intelligent, telling stories of the elderly and ill that she's cared for, the places she's loved, and the experiences she's had along the way. The songs mix wistful sadness (the plea of an 88-year-old as her body and memory wane but her "soul is still strong," in "Not Quite Ready") with humor ("Push It Over," about the karmic necessity of returning shopping carts, and "Valley of Bad Backs," about a common complaint); reverence for the land ("Oregon Hills") with personal attraction ("My Own Reflection"); appreciation of those in the caregiving professions ("Mr. Warefield's Ride") with fond portraits of those receiving their services ("Paper in the Wash" and "Ila").
Cindy's voice is sensitive, strong, and affecting, and the musicianship throughout this album is stellar. The CD release party for this disc at Eugene's Cafe Paradiso in March was a deservedly packed event, a musical celebration that ended with multiple standing ovations. Cindy has a lot to say, and has discovered powerful ways of expressing it in music. Watch for more! And meanwhile, whether in concert or on CD, don't miss her.
On the Wing of the Great Spaceship
by Tony Kaltenberg2003. CD available from www.tonykaltenberg.org .
This album captures the acoustic guitar magic of Tony Kaltenberg, whose percussive style, deft fingerwork, and soulful compositions inspired by the cosmos (and by individuals in his life) have earned him comparisons to Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke. The twelve tunes on this CD are purely instrumental, but don't need words to convey the moods and journeys they describe. Michael Manning joins Tony on fretless bass on four of tracks, and Alex Kelly adds cello to four others. A grand total of one of the compositions is in standard tuning; the other eleven range from DADGAD to CGDEbBbEb and everything in between. The effects are unique, transporting us into whatever subject matter inspired the piece, from the fishing blues (in "Teeter-totter") or good cooking ("Zucchini Break," "Thanksgiving at Mom's") to the cosmic perspectives provided by the stars (including "Ain't No Bigee" and the title track) and his father's birthday ("61 Circles Around the Sun").The liner notes for some tunes are particularly intriguing. Tony explains "Boomerang" with this story: "When I was 13, my brother and I were throwing boomerangs in a field when suddenly, I heard him yell 'duck.' So I ducked, and the boomerang hit me in the forehead. I guess it could have been worse... This tune is patterned after the emotions I experienced that day: calm, confusion, anger, and visions of stars (although these stars were in my head)." And the piece "Tiny Little Gremlins," Tony writes, "celebrates the by-products of our thought processes. They are the tiny little gremlins in our heads, the ones we sometimes listen to when we shouldn't and the ones we don't when we should. In this tune, they are represented by the little notes, pings, scratches, harmonics, and extraneous noises that arise from the tapping technique used here. If you listen closely you can hear all those tiny little gremlins dancing on the strings, laughing their little heads off."
Much of this issue of Talking Leaves was laid out to the accompaniment of On the Wing of the Great Spaceship. Hopefully the gremlins' work has only been for the better. If you think it has, check out Tony live or on this CD.
©2004 Talking Leaves
Spring/Early Summer 2004
Volume 14, Numbers 1 & 2
Person and Place: Adventures Here, There, & Everywhere