Claire Lynch – North By South

CLAIRE LYNCH

North By South

Compass Records

clairelynch.com

Writing about Claire Lynch’s album New Day in Sing Out! magazine in 2006, I referred to her as “one of the finest bluegrass vocalists of the modern era.” And, indeed, she was/is that. But, as early as that album, if not before, she was also finding inspiration in contemporary folk-rooted styles, singers and songwriters.

On her new album, North By South, Claire specifically finds inspiration in Canadian songwriters – nine of the 10 songs were written by Canadians, most of them familiar to readers of the Folk Roots/Folk Branches blog and to listeners of the radio programs I’ve done over the years in Montreal and Ottawa.

An album of Canadian songs might seem an odd choice for an artist long based in Nashville but Claire was inspired by her recent marriage to a Canadian man – and the other song on North By South is “Milo,” an up tempo tune inspired by her new husband.

Canada, of course, is known for many great songwriters (Canadian Spaces, a radio program on CKCU in Ottawa that I co-host every couple of months or so, is primarily dedicated to Canadian singer-songwriters) and Claire has picked some gems to sing on this album.

Perhaps my favorite track on North By South is Claire’s haunting version of Lynn Miles’ “Black Flowers,” whose narrator is a young mother whose husband was recently killed in a coal mine accident. As I’ve mentioned before, “Black Flowers” is one of the best coal mining songs of recent years. 

Other favorites include Old Man Luedecke’s “Kingdom Come,” an infectious melody that has Claire’s voice weaving in and around virtuoso playing by the likes of Béla Fleck on banjo, Bryan McDowell on fiddle, and David Grier on guitar; “Molly May,” J.P. Cormier’s seafaring ballad; Willie P. Bennett’s lovely “Andrew’s Waltz”; “Empty Train,” the compelling title track from David Francey’s latest album; and “All the Diamonds in This World,” Bruce Cockburn’s gentle song of spiritual belief.

“In all honesty, this collection of Canadian songs only touches the tip of the iceberg,” writes Claire in the liner notes. So, hopefully, this is just the first in a series of North By South albums by Claire Lynch.

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--Mike Regenstreif

Lisa Gutkin – From Here On In; Robin Greenstein – Tears and Laughter

LISA GUTKIN

From Here On In

lisagutkin.com

The Klezmatics have long been one of my favorite bands and on From Here On In, Lisa Gutkin, the band’s superb violinist – who has also worked in many other contexts over the years – steps out with a too-short EP of six of her own songs (two of which are new versions of songs recorded on Wonder Wheel, the Klezmatics’ Grammy-winning CD of Woody Guthrie lyrics that Klezmatics members set to music).

So far as I know, Lisa – who lives in New York City – did not plan this CD as any kind of a commentary on the events of September 11, 2001, but I’m writing this review on the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and I first listened to it in the days up to it, so I’m hearing some of the songs with that filter.

There is nothing overt in the lead-off song, “Manhattan was a Tangle,” co-written with Maggie Dubris, to reference 9/11 – but so much the imagery reminds me of that day: the song’s narrator is a mourning dove; the description of “milkweed blowing like snow” makes me think of the ashes that filled the sky; the little girl saying “Daddy, watch me fly,” makes me think of people falling or jumping out of the burning buildings before they fell; and the refrain, “A voice said cry, cry, where shall I cry?/Cry down by the waters wild,” just makes me think of the shock and sadness we all felt on September 11, 2001.

Another song, “For All of You,” which starts out seeming like a love song and then turns into a tribute to friendship, seems like it could be about recovery from those events and the resilience of the human spirit.

Even Lisa’s musical setting of Woody Guthrie’s lyrics to “Gonna Get Through This World,” made me think of 9/11. Woody wrote the words in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II but they seem just as relevant in the aftermath of September 11.

And the other Woody Guthrie setting, “From Here On In,” also reminds me of human resilience and the need to move forward.

It’s great to hear Lisa’s fine singing on these songs and, of course, her always superb work on violin, viola, and, here, on tenor guitar. She receives excellent support throughout the CD from musicians including producer John Lissauer on piano, Byron Isaacs on bass and backing vocals, Buddy Cage on peal steel, Will Holshouser on accordion, and Fiona McBain and Vaneese Thomas on backing vocals.

Hopefully, this 22-minute EP is a harbinger of more to come from Lisa.

ROBIN GREENSTEIN

Tears and Laughter

Windy Records

robingreenstein.com

One of the songs on Tears and Laughter, the new album by New York City-based singer-songwriter Robin Greenstein does directly address 9/11. “Hole in the Ground” is a poignant reminder of the devastation of that day, of the lives lost, and of the world’s lost innocence.

The other standout song on this CD is “Here I Am (Hineni),” a moving retelling of the biblical legend of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son, Isaac, which unfolds like a rabbinic midrash and ends with a question on how one might respond to a demand from God for blind devotion. A relevant question in a time when religious fundamentalism seems to be on the rise in reaction to modernity (or post-modernity).

Other highlights here include the title track, a song of hope for resiliency in the face of everyday adversity; “A Tale of Two Cities,” a commentary on the different experiences of those in different parts of New York City at the time of Hurricane Sandy; and “Happy New Year,” a bittersweet song that expresses both hope for the future and sadness at great loss.

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Sally Rogers & Claudia Schmidt – We are Welcomed

SALLY ROGERS & CLAUDIA SCHMIDT

We are Welcomed

Pragmavision

claudiaschmidt.com

sallyrogers.com

For the fourth time since 1981, Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt – both of whom I first met sometime in the ‘70s – have combined their always lovely and frequently powerful voices together in glorious harmony.

We are Welcomed features seven of Claudia’s original songs, three of Sally’s, and four drawn from other songwriters that they make their own.

Among the highlights from Claudia’s songs are a couple of powerful topical songs. “Willful Ignorance,” carries wise advice to those might be seduced by trumpian demagoguery, while “Still on the Bridge” reflects both on the deadly attack on civil rights marchers in 1965 in Alabama as they left Selma and crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge en route to Montgomery and how, half a century later, we are still, figuratively, on that bridge.

Other highlights from among Claudia’s songs are “Jamaica’s Tree,” a poignant tribute to a young woman from her neighborhood who lost her life at a too young age, and to the resilience of her mother; and the inspiring “Quiet Hills,” a 1994 song from one of Claudia’s solo albums that is re-recorded here with Sally’s magnificent harmonies.

Sally’s songs include the title track, “We are Welcomed,” a zipper song that celebrates new life (or rejuvenated life) with “song,” “joy,” “hope” and “love”; “Prudence Crandall,” a homage to a Connecticut teacher, who, many decades earlier, had been persecuted for breaking the color barrier in her classroom; and “The Tunes Jacqueline Plays,” a tribute to the seemingly magic musical abilities of pianist Jacqueline Schwab (who is the pianist on the album and on this song).

Each of the four songs by other writers is a sublime choice. Neal Hagberg’s “Star Girls” is a heartrending but, ultimately, hopeful tribute to girls and young women who are sold into slavery and/or repressed by religious fundamentalism. Peggy Seeger’s “Love, Call Me Home” is a lovely paean to friendship, while Jean Ritchie’s “The Cool of the Day,” based on a passage from Genesis when Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden, is given a stunning treatment with Sally’s lead vocal and Claudia’s harmony.

My favorite of the cover songs is a magnificent version of Sandy Denny’s autumnal masterpiece “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.” There have been many great versions of this song since the late-1960s and this version stands very tall among them. By the way, the drummer on the album, and on “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” is Dave Mattacks, who was once a member of Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny (although I believe he joined the band after they recorded the song).

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--Mike Regenstreif