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By
Ellen Rawson
It
all starts with gentle acoustic guitar strings and a sympathetic cello. Then the
voice, begging for forgiveness in its confession, enters. By the time the
chorus, with its bridge, rolls in, the song’s mood and vision are set.
“Damned Understanding,” featuring guitar and cello along with an honest,
velvety voice that isn’t afraid to show a little bit of grit, is an inviting
opening number for A
Thousand Miles, London-based Maureen Munroe’s debut CD.
Perhaps
it’s that honest voice, or maybe it’s how Ann Ungless’ cello seemingly
emotes, but Munroe immediately manages to set the mood to her songs and turn
them to emotional mirrors into which the listeners may gaze and draw from. On
“All I Can Be,” Munroe’s voice breaks lightly and shimmers with vibrato as
she defiantly declares who she is. “My Radio” allows her to show off her
high register while she pleads with the disc jockey to play that special song to
help her understand her life. While most of the CD clearly fits the
singer-songwriter label, “Two or Three Teardrops From Now” demonstrates a
slightly country twinge as Munroe’s voice hesitates appropriately.
Munroe,
who currently teaches music as her day job and holds a degree from the Berklee
College of Music, uses her classroom experiences to help form the bittersweet
yet forceful “Schoolyard.” Probably one of the emotionally strongest numbers
on a disc with a collection of hard-hitting numbers, it leaps out as Munroe’s
lyrics take on several layers of meaning including the sadness of an ended love
affair and the self-realization that often accompanies such an experience.
The
confessional school of poetry came of age in the United States in the 1950s and
1960s. The way the writers told of their intimate experiences shocked yet drew
in readers. Munroe’s lyrics aren’t shocking, but the way she performs both
her own material and that of fellow collaborator Pete Wallis (responsible for
various guitars and backing vocals ) transforms them into something new –
notions that feel completely fresh and need to be communicated.
Complaints?
They only concern the overall production. Some of the songs seem to end
abruptly, which cuts off their emotional outpouring. That’s a minor problem,
however, on an album featuring thought-provoking songs, a strong voice, and
excellent instrumentation. “Be Somebody Voice,” the final track, closes the
CD on a positive note as Munroe declares that she’s “not a magazine kind of
girl,” but that she “still want(s) to be someone.” “If I can’t be
somebody, I’ll be somebody else,” she proclaims. There isn’t any need for
that, however. If there is any sort of justice in the music business, *A
Thousand Miles* should take her far and introduce her as someone whose second CD
will be awaited eagerly.
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