The Brightness
The Brightness
表演者: Ana?s Mitchell
介质: Audio CD
发行时间: 2007-02-13
唱片数: 1
出版者: Righteous Babe
条形码: 0748731705329
专辑简介
From her birthplace on a Vermont sheep farm to Beirut caf??s, Cairo apartments and Austin recording studios, Ana?ˉs (ah-NAY-iss) Mitchell has been around. Therefore, it's no surprise that The Brightness, Mitchell's Righteous Babe debut, is infused with the restless, worldly perspective of a real troubadour.
With The Brightness, Mitchell gives us a glimpse into the raw talent and infectious energy of today's underground folkies, not to mention a handful of the places she's been. Over the course of 11 songs, listeners are transported to Bethlehem and the Virginia countryside; they bathe in New Mexico moonlight and hear the world whizzing by from the inside of a hobo's train car. But for all of its worldliness, this is a lovingly homemade album.
Recorded with producer and long-time collaborator Michael Chorney and a handful of Vermont-based artists, The Brightness is anchored by sparse, unpretentious arrangements, whether it's the charming backwoods banjo of "Shenandoah," Chorney's warm lap-steel playing, or Mitchell's acoustic guitar work, which is almost harp-like in its soft, economical beauty. On the rare occasions when the production gets richer, it's instantly memorable--especially the wave of vocal harmony that washes over the chorus of "Your Fonder Heart."
Given the absence of production tricks and the near-lack of percussion, Ana?ˉs' lyrics give The Brightness its major source of light. Instead of a musician, she credits "The Alexandria Quartet," a series of four novels by British author Lawrence Durrell, as the main influence behind the record. This is songwriting with a stress on the latter half of the word, where the hooks are in the syllables as much as they're in the melodies.
Mitchell spins stories about forgotten old poets, jilted lovers and the three wise men, making each one a distinct chapter of one cohesive work. Her lyrics tackle the personal and political with equal aplomb, often blurring the lines between the two. In fact, thin lines are a recurring theme in her music, whether it's between friends and lovers, religion and violence, or prosperity and pain.
On The Brightness, Ana?ˉs Mitchell is going somewhere, and you're invited to come along. Chances are it's a trip you won't soon forget.
关键词：The Brightness