aka Nashville Artist #1
I picked this artist first because I read a review that likened her to my beloved Gillian Welch - always bound to be an extreme compliment, or some form of sacrilege. Or, in this case, somewhere in between. I settled in to listen to this album as I made some delicious Christmas cookies - a gentle listen in a bright kitchen as I enjoyed my 'me time'. Delightful.
Siskind does not consistently have the same haunting, ethereal quality that makes Gillian Welch such a phenomenal singer-songwriter. But she does have a powerful, crystal clear voice and at times, such as in the lovely 'Feeling for You', she does demonstrate that beautiful eery sound and clever use of minor chords. The soul-inspired 'Rescue You' also has a wonderful Gillian-esque quality to it too - an excellent track, and probably my pick of the album. Or was, until I heard 'Didn't it Rain' - a real boot stomper, almost sort of gospel-ish, driven by wild steel strings and earthy vocals. Wow!
Siskind does not consistently have the same haunting, ethereal quality that makes Gillian Welch such a phenomenal singer-songwriter. But she does have a powerful, crystal clear voice and at times, such as in the lovely 'Feeling for You', she does demonstrate that beautiful eery sound and clever use of minor chords. The soul-inspired 'Rescue You' also has a wonderful Gillian-esque quality to it too - an excellent track, and probably my pick of the album. Or was, until I heard 'Didn't it Rain' - a real boot stomper, almost sort of gospel-ish, driven by wild steel strings and earthy vocals. Wow!
'Crying on a Plane' hit a little close to home for this weary traveller - a beautiful, soulful ballad driven by deep piano, a truly lovely song. 'Nowhere in the Middle' was actually very Martha Wainwright to me, right down to the very literal lyrics. It wasn't until spotify skipped me over to her earlier, 2008 album, 'Say it Louder' - which I definitely preferred - that I realised Siskind has a much more Martha quality to her than she does Gillian. But unlike Martha, whose literal lyrics all just seem to fit, my main issue with this 2011 Siskind album is that sometimes the lyricism is just a bit clumsy and awkward. And detached. Maybe that's what she's aiming for, but it sort of feels a bit like she's aiming too hard. And while I like her interesting timing, her soul-y, jazz-y take on folk, for me sometimes the songwriting doesn't always click. I'd love to hear her just chill out a bit.
Ultimately, comparisons (others this artist draws are Joni Mitchell - much more to the mark - and Carly Simon) are unfair and do no one the justice they deserve. She has a beautiful voice, knows her way round a guitar, and many of the tracks were "growers" - my second and third listens were definitely more enjoyable. There's no denying 'Novel' contains some real gems - I mean seriously, 'Didn't It Rain' is something truly special - but personally I don't think the album is arranged to display them to their full potential - there's too much wading through awkwardness to get to the tracks that really click. That said, if I walked into a bar tomorrow and paid 10 bucks to see an acoustic Sarah Siskind show, I have no doubt that I would walk away thinking I had heard something truly remarkable. As for the album: liked it, didn't love it.
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