Babe Gurr - SideDish

Babe Gurr – SideDish
2011, Elan Records Canada
Babe Gurr continues her slow, relentless rise through theworld of folk and Americana.  Her lastalbum, Chocolate Lilly, earned ravereviews in both the U.S. and Canada, and led to a series of high profileconcerts in both countries.  Gurr’s songshave also been featured on a number of shows on U.S. television, including theFOX series Higher Ground.  Gurr’s songwriting has also been lauded invenues such as the Billboard World Song Contest, the 12^th GreatAmerican Song Contest, and the Sonic Bids Nashville Song Contest, the latter ofwhich she won.  Gurr recently releasedher latest effort, SideDish, acollection of eight originals and two covers with an international flair.

SideDish openswith “I’m Just Here To Dance”, a gritty tango, and Gurr’s voice is as sultry asthe dance itself.  Gurr is a masterstoryteller, and proves it once again here. “Solo Mia” is an absolutely gorgeous performance, with Gurr’s earthyalto the perfect complement to a great arrangement.  “The World Is Calling” is a wonderfully darkworld/rock number that blends Middle Eastern and Western sounds in a vibrantand driven arrangement.  “I Will Be” is apure love song; a promise of devotion with surprisingly melancholicundertones.  The song is dark and urgent;moving in an almost needful way. 

“Voodoo Love” is bluesy, elemental folk/rock ala BonnieRaitt; a catchy number with an unforgettable chorus.  This is Gurr at her finest.  “My Love” and “Let’s Find A Way” are bothsolid entries, and lead to the closer, “Rio’s Lullaby”.  The song is an apt closer, a gentle goodnightthat highlights Gurr’s voice as the supreme instrument it is.

Babe Gurr’s SideDish definitely walks a different musicalline than we have heard from her in the past, but it is a worthwhile one tofollow.  Gurr shows a versatility oflanguage and style that is unique in modern music; not just an ability to coverdifferent ground but a depth of perception and musical understanding that isstartling.  Gurr’s voice, as always, is apleasure, and the journey she takes on SideDishis one that listeners will prize.

Rating: 4 Stars(Out of 5)

Learn more about Babe Gurr at www.babegurr.com.  SideDishis available on CD from Amazon.com.  Thealbum is also available in multiple formats from CDBaby.com. 

Gwyneth & Monko – Gwyneth & Monko

Gwyneth & Monko – Gwyneth & Monko
2011, Gwyneth & Monko

Gwyneth Moreland and Michael Monko return this week with their first full-length album, Gwyneth & Monko.  The follow-up to last summer’s Good Ol’ Horse EP reflects a somewhat darker aspect to the duo’s music, a blend of the sharp Americana style they’ve displayed in the past and a slightly more serious approach as songwriters that has developed over the past year on the road together. 

Gwyneth & Monko opens with “Found In Benson”, a simultaneously joyful and melancholy piece that manages to be repetitive and mundane.  The juxtaposition of moods is the most intriguing part in what is arguably a weak opening track.  “Consumption” is a prairie ballad about tuberculosis and the lives it stole or left broken in one family.  Mournful and dark, this is an example of Moreland’s finesse as a lyricist and is among the best song craft on the album.  “Hand In The Fire” is fairly average for songwriting, but shows off the distinctive nature and beauty of Moreland’s voice in perfect relief.

Gwyneth & Monko go for a vaguely bluesy blend of Appalachian folk and gospel on “Blood Of The Lamb”, capturing a musical moment that is memorable both for the song for the haunting beauty of Moreland’s vocal.  “Summer Bliss” and “Get In The Sun” are bland and forgettable, although the latter finds Moreland sounding a bit like a young Stevie Nicks (although with better enunciation).  “The Raven” takes off on the Edgar Allan Poe tale in a Cowboy Junkies-style arrangement.  The sound is nice, but doesn’t necessarily work here.  Margo Timmons has an amazing voice, but Moreland is a different kind of vocalist, and this low energy approach just doesn’t work here.

“Eloise” is a song of heartbreak; written from the perspective of a man who has been forsaken by the only one he ever loved.  The lyrics and arrangement are solid, but the vocal makes the song stand up and walk.  “Can’t Stay Long” is in the same class as “Blood Of The Lamb”, blending great energy with a plus arrangement and a standout vocal line.  “Song Of The Robin Redbreast” is aesthetic and sweet, and leads into a wax cylinder recording of “Pine Box Sailor”.  This last seems more an exercise than anything else, experimentation in sound.  While the recording is messy, it’s inarguable that Moreland, in particular, sounds right at home.  The wax recording brings out some of the qualities in her voice you might hear in a live setting, and gives you an idea of how good she really is.

Gwyneth & Monko show flashes of the energy and panache that made their debut EP, Good ‘Ol Horse, such a pleasure to find, but Gwyneth & Monko fails to live up to the resultant expectations.  There are a couple of examples of what the duo is capable of as songwriters, but as a whole the songwriting is somewhat lackluster.  The effort is saved again and again by the voice of Gwyneth Moreland.  She is one of those vocalists who can make a bad song listenable and a good song great.  Moreland gives life to several songs on Gwyneth & Monko that are otherwise mundane.  Michael Monko is steady at helm on the instrumental side, providing solid arrangements for Moreland to play against, but the sense of inspiration the duo have showed previously just never quite establishes itself here.  Gwyneth & Monk have grown as songwriters, and that’s always a positive.  If they can keep that growth and re-infuse some of the energy they’ve shown previously they’re going to do great things.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Gwyneth And Monko at www.gwynethandmonko.com or www.myspace.com/gwynethmoreland.  Gwyneth & Monko is available digitally from Amazon.com and iTunes.

The Jezabels - Dark Storm

The Jezabels - Dark Storm
2010, The Jezabels

Sydney, Australia quartet The Jezabels have had a whirlwind year, landing opening gigs for artists such as Tegan & Sara, Katie Noonan and Josh Pyke while promoting their 2009 EP She's So Hard.  In the process The Jezabels grew into headliners themselves, selling some pretty impressive rooms along the way.  Led by vocalist Hayley Mary, The Jezabels bring an eclectic sound on their latest EP, Dark Storm, the last of an EP trilogy.

The EP opens with “Dark Storm”, a stark and lovely tune with a disturbing edge.  The song has a hidden pop sensibility; it won’t necessarily be your favorite the first listen through but it is the song that will keep you coming back.  Vocalist Hayley Mary intrigues while sounding like a cross between Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks.  “Mace Spray” is crunchy-but-ambient pop.  Hayley Mary’s vocal is distinctive and disturbing, full of an asymmetric beauty and a hard edge that’s sort of like chewing on tin foil.  “Sahara Mahala” is an edgy pop love song with a serious hook and a deep sense of mystery.  “A Little Piece goes a bit too far vocally, with Mary stretching for some soprano notes that were perhaps ill thought.  The Jezabels close with “She’s So Hard”, a vocally intriguing but lyrically obtuse song that shows elements of Sarah McLachlan and Bjork.

The Jezabels show an intriguing mix of rock, pop and Lilith Fair pastiche on “Dark Storm”, one of the more intriguing musical introductions we’ve made this year at Wildy’s World.  The EP itself has its ups and downs, but Hayley Mary has a voice that could become iconic.  Voice aside, there’s enough here to keep you in the loop enough to want to find out what The Jezabels do next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Jezabels at http://www.thejezabels.com/ or www.myspace.com/jezabelsband.  Dark Storm is available on CD from Amazon.com.  Digital copies are available via iTunes.