johnfoyle
07-17-2005, 07:30 PM
http://drivelikehell.typepad.com/drive_like_hell/2005/07/laura_cantrell_.html
By Ryan Walker
The Iota Club and Cafe in Arlington, VA consistently proves to be a great place to see live music: impeccable sound in an intimate setting. Laura Cantrell's performance, last Tuesday night, was no exception. The New York based, Nashville born singer-songwriter treated a rapt audience to more than an hour of lovely melodies and twangy instrumentation, alternating her own songs with others, as she has on three critically acclaimed records.
The set began with A.P. Carter's "When The Roses Bloom Again," which was re-incarnated as a Woody Guthrie cover version and an outtake from Wilco's Mermaid Avenue project, before becoming the title track to Cantrell's second album. Mostly, however, the show stuck to songs from her recent third album (and first for New York indie stalwart Matador Records), Humming by the Flowered Vine. A trio of backing musicians (Jimmy Ryan, mandolin; Jeremy Chatsky, stand-up bass; Mark Spencer, guitar/weisenborn) helped Cantrell through original compositions like "Khaki and Corduroy" and the Rose Maddox tribute "California Rose." Her repertoire of tribute songs was also represented by "Mountain Fern," about Molly O'Day, a singer from the forties and fifties. Cantrell certainly knows a lot about the history of obscure folk and country, which she has delighted listeners with for years on her "Radio Thrift Shop" program; but her repeated insistence on telling the stories behind every song, which appear nearly verbatim on her website, slowed the momentum of her performance a bit.
Nonetheless, the show sailed along on the good cheer and transparency of Cantrell's demeanor and the musicianship of her band, even when mandolinist Ryan's solos occasionally seemed to steal the show. Cantrell demonstrated a taste in covers that blended seamlessly with her own songbook, including stand-out tracks from Humming like Emily Spray's catchy "14th Street," Jennifer Jackson's "What You Said" and the heartbreaking Lucinda Williams rarity "Letters." The real highlight of the show was "Poor Ellen Smith," a traditional murder ballad, which Cantrell discovered in the collection of a songcatching ancestor.
Though her lyrics can be extremely evocative, her music doesn't have the edge or grandeur of that of Williams or Kathleen Edwards. But for those who enjoy traditional country distilled into a smart, confident, melodic elixir, Cantrell's records go great over Saturday morning coffee and her performance at the cozy venue went great over a couple of beers.
By Ryan Walker
The Iota Club and Cafe in Arlington, VA consistently proves to be a great place to see live music: impeccable sound in an intimate setting. Laura Cantrell's performance, last Tuesday night, was no exception. The New York based, Nashville born singer-songwriter treated a rapt audience to more than an hour of lovely melodies and twangy instrumentation, alternating her own songs with others, as she has on three critically acclaimed records.
The set began with A.P. Carter's "When The Roses Bloom Again," which was re-incarnated as a Woody Guthrie cover version and an outtake from Wilco's Mermaid Avenue project, before becoming the title track to Cantrell's second album. Mostly, however, the show stuck to songs from her recent third album (and first for New York indie stalwart Matador Records), Humming by the Flowered Vine. A trio of backing musicians (Jimmy Ryan, mandolin; Jeremy Chatsky, stand-up bass; Mark Spencer, guitar/weisenborn) helped Cantrell through original compositions like "Khaki and Corduroy" and the Rose Maddox tribute "California Rose." Her repertoire of tribute songs was also represented by "Mountain Fern," about Molly O'Day, a singer from the forties and fifties. Cantrell certainly knows a lot about the history of obscure folk and country, which she has delighted listeners with for years on her "Radio Thrift Shop" program; but her repeated insistence on telling the stories behind every song, which appear nearly verbatim on her website, slowed the momentum of her performance a bit.
Nonetheless, the show sailed along on the good cheer and transparency of Cantrell's demeanor and the musicianship of her band, even when mandolinist Ryan's solos occasionally seemed to steal the show. Cantrell demonstrated a taste in covers that blended seamlessly with her own songbook, including stand-out tracks from Humming like Emily Spray's catchy "14th Street," Jennifer Jackson's "What You Said" and the heartbreaking Lucinda Williams rarity "Letters." The real highlight of the show was "Poor Ellen Smith," a traditional murder ballad, which Cantrell discovered in the collection of a songcatching ancestor.
Though her lyrics can be extremely evocative, her music doesn't have the edge or grandeur of that of Williams or Kathleen Edwards. But for those who enjoy traditional country distilled into a smart, confident, melodic elixir, Cantrell's records go great over Saturday morning coffee and her performance at the cozy venue went great over a couple of beers.