Gregory Douglass - Lucid

Gregory Douglass - Lucid
2011, Emote Records

Gregory Douglass defines the modernconcept of an Indie artist. The Burlington, Vermont singer/songwriter releasesalbums through his own record label, Emote Records. He's also maximized his fanbase over eight albums, with fans funding some or all of his last five albumsthrough pre-orders and donations. Douglass' 2008 album, Battler,inspired by a particularly dark season of HBO's Six Feet Under, was acollaborative effort. Douglass worked with Righteous Babe Records' AnaisMitchell and singer extraordinaire Grace Potter to craft an album that resultedin universal acclaim. The album spawned a video for "Hang Around"that charted for six consecutive months on LOGO TV's Click List Top 10Video Countdown, and appearances with artists such as Jason Mraz, ReginaSpektor, Margaret Cho and Melissa Ferrick. Gregory Douglass' latest album, Lucid,is a much more personal affair. Long a fan of dream interpretation, Douglassdecided to put his dreams to music. But this time out Douglas worked with AbletonLive, creating electronic layers and depth around his compositions,resulting in his most sonically ambitious work to date.

Lucid opens with "The Night", a dark, dream-likesoliloquy that plays like a lullaby for those who cannot rest. It's anintriguing start, simultaneously soothing and subtly disturbing."Lucid" is a solid album track. This is the first time Douglassreally digs into his more electronic sound, and the song is compelling for thechoices he makes as he layers sound upon sound. Like most first steps, the songhas some rough edges, but Douglass' distinctive ear wins out in the end."White Out" blends soul, electro and rock in compelling fashion,although there is an overly recursive nature to the tune that asserts itself.

Douglass strips things down a bitfor "Naysayer", building on a simple arrangement in subtle fashion.This is the most sonically compelling piece on the album. Listeners will sitand wait for the big breakout that never comes, but Douglas continues to buildin small, almost imperceptible detail, fulfilling the social contract of thesong but always leaving you wanting a bit more. It's brilliant. Lucidfalls into a bit of a rut in the middle, recovering on the intriguingmelody of "Raven”. Douglass creates tremendous movement in the melodyline, buttressing it with the dark timbres and shading of the starkarrangement. This musical climax winds down slowly through two additionaltracks, "One True Thing" and "From Now On", both musicalaperitifs that slowly draw the album to a close.

Gregory Douglass brings hisintriguing voice to bear against the stark backdrop of dreams on Lucid.The result is downright compelling at times. Douglass creates musical intriguewith a newfound love of electronic layering, but this is a double-edged swordat times, as it also fills in the nuance of his songwriting at times, levelingthe sonic landscape and creating a sense of continuity that is, at timesoppressive. Like many experiments, Lucid has its moments of grandeur andglitz, as well as moments soon forgotten, but the album marks the continuedevolution of Douglass as an artist. There's little doubt that Douglass learnedas much from this project as listeners will from listening, and will continueto build on those lessons as he moves forward. For now, Lucid, remains acompelling experiment from a prodigious artist; one very much worth exploring.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Gregory Douglass atwww.gregorydouglass.com or www.myspace.com/gregorydouglass. 

Melissa Ferrick - Still Right Here

Melissa Ferrick –Still Right Here
2011, MPress Records

Melissa Ferrick is at it again, criss-crossing the countryon tour in support of her latest release, StillRight Here.  An enigma in the rockand roll world when she first started out, Ferrick has kept the Indie lightburning throughout her career, refusing to give in to the mores of major labelmadness.  Still Right Here is about what you would expect for Ferrick,well-written songs full of great lyrics and an understated storyteller’spanache.

Ferrick gets things started with the title track.  “Still Right Here” is a catchy little numberwith great pop sensibility about facing the reality of yourself and who youare.  Kaki King sits in on “Headphones On”,an ode to overcoming life’s difficulties through music.  Ferrick shares the great, swaying feel of “YouLet Me Be” with none other than Ani DiFranco in a highly enjoyable duet thatcould play just as easily as a love song or a friends song.  “Seconds Like These” is catchy, with a solidchorus.  It’s a paean to making the mostout of life.  Ferrick’s songwriting issolid on “One Of A Kind”, finding a rough-hewn, open sound that fits her voice very well.  It’s a great listen with a positive message.

Regret is the theme of “Checking In”; a retrospective on arelationship past that tries to understand what was lost with an air ofcautious indifference and a deep-seated hope for renewal.  The vulnerability here is palpable; castbehind a thinly veiled sheen of intellectual curiosity.  The genius of this song is the utter humanimperfection and honesty of the lyrics.  “IWill Back You Up” is a pragmatic love song. With great writing and a memorable melody, Ferrick creates one of herbest tunes to date while dancing on the line between her more mature works andan almost Indigo Girls-like sound. Ferrick wraps up with the gorgeous contemplation of fall and winter inthe Northeast, “This Time Of Year”. There is no complexity here, just a simple love for the land and theseason that is stunning in its unadulterated beauty.

There was a time, back in the mid-1990’s, when MelissaFerrick was hailed as the next Melissa Etheridge.  Yet she has proved over time that suchmedia-attributed expectations truly can be overcome.  Ferrick has grown considerably over the years,developing into a finely nuanced songwriter who can still pick up a guitar androck your socks off when the mood strikes her. Ferrick has grown more contemplative over the years, zeroing in on adeeper understanding of the world around her through song, but the energy thatruns through her songs hasn’t changed. While “Still Right Here” perhaps doesn’t capture quite the magic thatFerrick managed on 2008’s GoodbyeYouth, it’s not far off the mark. The songwriting is solid-to-excellent throughout, and Ferrick just keepsgetting better over time as a performer. Still Right Here is a worthyeffort.

Rating: 4 Stars(Out of 5)

Learn more about Melissa Ferrick at www.melissaferrick.com or www.myspace.com/melissaferrick.  StillRight Here is available as a CDor Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.