The Marigolds -- That's the State I'm In

THE MARIGOLDS
That’s the State I’m In
The Marigolds
themarigolds.ca

I’ve always loved listening to the harmonies made possible when fine, simpatico singers come together in interesting collaborations – I especially love listening to such collaborations by great female voices. One of the finest such collaborations is Quartette – the combination of Sylvia Tyson, Cindy Church, Caitlin Hanford and Gwen Swick (who stepped in when founding member Colleen Peterson lost her battle with cancer).

The Marigolds are a trio that includes half of Quartette – Caitlin and Gwen – and Suzie Vinnick, a fine soloist and veteran of several other collaborations. They released their debut CD, The Marigolds – a modest but compelling set of original material and several country and pop standards – in 2005. Now, they’ve returned with That’s the State I’m In, a much more ambitious collection of all-original material steeped in the sounds of country, bluegrass, folk and jazz.

The lead vocals shift, song to song, among each of the three Marigolds and when two aren’t in the spotlight, they’re adding sweet harmonies to the one who is.

Each brings fine songs to the set. Among my favourites are Caitlin’s “Ramble Down the Line,” a clickety-clackety train song that could be a bluegrass standard; Gwen’s “May Your Life Be Ever Blessed, a hauntingly beautiful piece that explores similar themes to Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” or John Martyn’s “May You Never; and Suzie’s bluesy “Why Baby,” co-written with Gwen and Caitlin.

The Marigolds’ Ottawa-area launch for That’s the State I’m In is Sunday, January 31, 4:00 pm, at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, QC. Call 1-888-222-6608 for tickets.

--Mike Regenstreif