I have no idea why I like Laura Cantrell. Her music is at odds with everything else in my collection, but I can't get enough of her. Her third album shows once again why this New York country artist draws praise from music lovers of all types.
Cantrell introduced herself to the music community as the host of WFMU's "Radio Thrift Shop," in which she plays obscure songs of all genres from the last 7 or 8 decades. Her love of classic country is obvious on her show, and her albums showcase a timeless style that contrasts with today's Nashville sound, which she constantly criticizes though she was born and raised in Nashville.
On Humming by the Flowered Vine, Laura is joined by numerous guest musicians, which gives its songs a much more varied quality than her previous albums. This album has been much more meticulously produced, which, on balance, is a good thing. The added complexity is appreciated, but this album lacks the same "stepping into a time machine" quality that her first two albums had.
Like her two previous albums, this one has four songs written by Laura. A song she wrote for her first album, "Churches Off the Interstate," is the best song that's ever been written by anybody, and though none of her originals on this album is quite that good, they are better overall than her songs on any other album. I particularly like "California Rose," a tribute to Depression-era musician Rose Maddox.
Overall, this album makes me very excited. It follows the previous two albums nicely, but more importantly the progress it shows makes you anxious for what's to come in the future. Pay particular attention to "14th Street," written by Emily Spray, which I'm going to go ahead and unofficially declare a top three Cantrell song.
No comments:
Post a Comment