Maurice Hope – August 30, 2016 at 04:57AM
Tags:_AMERICANA
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Annie Keating has put out a string of excellent albums the last eight years, ever since her brilliant debut record Belmont she has impressed with her work.
Though Keating has yet to become a household name or received anywhere near the adulation her music deserves, the hard-working act has lost none of her musical integrity. The title-track “Trick Star” is about her first bicycle, a Trick Star and it kicks up quite a ruckus, scuffs up gravel on the bends as electric guitar of a rock flavour rear.
Seeds were sown for the album on Keating hearing the Brooklyn Youth Chorus perform Black Mountain Songs at London Barbican, Black Mountain College was based in the mountains of North Carolina between 1933-1957. With arts at the heart of its core, the legacy lives on through the likes of the choir performing today. She even uses them on the final track “Phoenix”, as ever the arrangement works beautifully.
Keating continues to write, and record carefully sourced and arranged material as on “Orchard”. This as she speaks of half-truths buried in the orchard, and with trumpet in the mix the tune has a sobering effect. Among her finest music you have such typically rich in melody “Come And Go”, “Trapeze” and with bustling, jangling guitar powered ode “Time Come Help Me Forget” shakes ones emotions to the core as she speaks of the cycle of a relationship asking ‘does it get any better?
At her best on easing through a beautiful flowing melody or something more urgent Keating offers a good many of both. From the soothing “In The Valley” as she speaks of having a place to go when things become over crowded in her life to the joy transfered on “Lucky”. While on becoming a little wistful she recalls of how it was one summer night in June and of those carnival far off days on “Slow Waltz”.
With a solid core of players in Jason Mercer, Steve Mayone, Chris Tarrow, Claudia Chopek, Shane Endsley and Yuval Lion performing everything from acoustic, bass, slide and electric guitar to organ, mandolin, piano, drums, viola, accordion and trumpet the sound is beautifully layered.
“Creatures” has a happy 1960s sing-a-long feel of the bands of yesterday, while the surprise track other than ‘Phoenix” is the impressive “Growing Season”. With its minimal approach it offers something refreshingly different as her vocals are warmed, deftly by an acoustic and electric guitar, plus hand drum and trumpet. An area she might well be advised to try again.
Maurice Hope
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