ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Mary Gauthier - THE FOUNDLING
Mary Gauthier - THE FOUNDLING PROPER RECORDS 14.06.10 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
Country music still gets a hard time in these parts of the world. Most folk just cannot get past the images of cowboy hat wearing line dancers, or gormless novelty artists like Billy Ray Cyrus. But peel back the veneer of those corny and hackneyed aspects of the genre and you can find sophisticated, beautifully written and played country music aplenty. Take this 6th album from Mary Gauthier for example – these are emotional autobiographical tales profoundly influenced by her abandonment at birth. The songs explore how this event shaped her life and her attitude to her adoptive family. Of the highlights of the album - ‘Mama Come, Mama Gone’ is a beautiful lullaby – hushed vocals, mournful tender bass, and barely brushed drums. ‘Goodbye’ has gentle yet stirring strings, pretty plucked acoustic guitar and a beautiful insightful refrain of ‘I passed through like rain / Goodbye could’ve been my family name’. ‘Sideshow’ has a curious circus traveller feel with parping horns and a languid drawled vocal. ‘Blood is Blood’ is a dark brooding piece as Mary opines passionately ‘I don’t know who I am / I don’t know who I’m not’. ‘March 11, 1962’ (presumably her birthday) is about Mary coming to terms with the emotions invoked when taking the major step of trying to track her mother down, and then get back in touch. A whole album’s worth of songs about being abandoned as a baby gets a bit emotionally draining after twelve or thirteen tracks (and that’s just for the listener, never mind Mary herself). Although 2 or 3 tracks are mere musical interludes rather than full tracks, so it’s not actually as many as that. But it is heartening to here country music that flies in the face of all those old clichés. So put aside those old prejudices and just enjoy this as fine, touching music rather as Country music. www.marygauthier.com |
