The Place For Emerging Women In Music
One of Music Connection's Best Websites of 2002!
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By Ellen Rawson
In 1988, Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar released the comedy Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Are the women who comprise Voices on the Verge, Beth Amsel, Jess Klein, Erin McKeown, and Rose Polenzani on the verge of a nervous breakdown? Not really. Only if they can't handle the recognition this recording will bring to their individual careers will there such problems. These ladies are voices on the verge of breaking through the commercial barriers of today's popular music.
The concept is similar to Christine Lavin's Bitchin' Babes. Four female singer-songwriters get together to perform live and record songs. Perhaps the main difference here is these women are younger than Lavin's accomplices; they're not as well known even on the singer-songwriter circuit. All four performers have their own solo careers that have brought them varying degrees of recognition and publicity already. However, none has yet gained any sort of star status although they clearly have the talent and aim for that. Like the various members of Bitchin' Babes over the years, however, they manage to sound like a well-honed group recording material they've written together than four individuals used to touring solo and singing their own songs. When they first performed together, each woman was designated a thirty-minute set at Northampton, Massachusetts's Iron Horse club. However, they decided to combine their time onstage that evening. Instead of playing four half-hour shows each, they took the stage together and spontaneously backed each other on instrumentals and vocals. For the live album, each performer has three main features - three songs of her choosing in which she sings lead vocals, rotating in order. With the exception of Beth Amsel's cover of Maggie Simpson's "Hunger," each woman has written her own songs.
The fun
part is when they work together. Three voices become an angelic chorus backing
Polenzani's "Heaven Help Us," ironically initially coming in right
after the line "we've been angry trio." The spiritual influence continues
with the backing vocals on "Hunger," the second track. They turn into
singing birds on McKeown's traditional sounding "Blackbirds." While
all of the women play acoustic guitar, some of their individual instrumental
specialties add unique
touches not necessarily found on the artists' own recordings. In particular,
Klein's clarinet adds to the '40s mood of "Didn't They?" and the bittersweet
feel of "Softly Moses," both written by McKeown. McKeown's accordion
makes its presence known on Polenzani's "Thom II," giving it even
more of a personal touch than even two gentle acoustic guitars (played by Polenzani
and Amsel) alone can produce.
All four women possess diverse writing styles. While there are obvious common qualities, it's not difficult to determine who penned which piece. "Louise," a standout by Amsel, probably best fits the singer-songwriter mode. It's a folk song with pop tendencies - a style that could lend Amsel more AAA-style radio airplay with its upbeat chorus about the woman trying to escape from the "county apartments" that back the narrator's property. "Long Island Sound," Amsel's other contribution, is a poetic piece that displays her voice, slightly reminiscent of Dar Williams, that allows her to roll out syllables gracefully and luxuriously.
McKeown
displays a sense for an old-fashioned feel blended with a twinge of Americana,
as felt on "Blackbirds." She takes on jazz, blues, and scat singing
with equal ease. Polenzani's numbers are kind of an alternative rock take on
folk, as seen with "You Don't Know." Replace McKeown's acoustic guitar
with an electric one, and the song could become a real rocker. McKeown's electric
guitar on Polenzani's "Heaven Help Us" lends to its desperate, yet
eerily
dreamy, state on a song that successfully blends religion, love, and politics.
Although Polenzani's voice may sometimes seem a little disconnected, that technique
works well on this song. Overall, her voice is strong, and her confessional
poet-style of lyric writing adds to the album's intimacy. Jess Klein's voice
has a bit of the little girl sound, but she belts out lines with a strong vibrato
possessed by few children. She gets the closing track, "It's Alright,"
an appropriate piece for heading off into the night. The chorus may not be exactly
erudite ("I'll be alright/I'll be alright/I'll be alright/Oh I don't think
I'll be calling you tonight"), but its melody and spirit, along with her
voice, are gently reassuring.
Not every
song may appeal to all listeners, even if they are fans of a one or two of the
individual artists. However, the diversity of each piece, along with the songwriter-in-the-round
collaborations, makes it possible for these voices on the verge to reach out
to a larger audience while having what sounds like a lot of fun working together.
For more information visit www.voicesontheverge.com