Amy Annelle – The Toll
This Austin, Texas artist is a captivating storyteller. I’m focused on what singers sing – many times they write about the same subjects, topics & issues. But when a singer ventures a little further out on the bluff – that’s ingenuity.
Amy Annelle tackles complex & conflicting relationships & explores with elemental lyrical themes, sorrow’s role & the varied degrees of love, the urge to follow dreams, what lies at the end of the road & the challenges still facing gays. Heavy-duty stuff.
There are 12 pieces recorded at her home studio that are The Toll (Drops August 2/High Plains Sigh/44:22). Produced by Amy (acoustic guitar/vocals/bgv/duets/vocal arrangements) & Cooper McBean (electric & acoustic guitar/banjo/bass/accordion/vocals/arrangements).
Amy possesses a persuasive tone & enhances it with haunting backup vocals. All mixed in a country affirmation but nothing here is hokey, or twangy since Amy’s vocals are silky, yet powerful. She translates Country tunes through her impeccable range. No showboating, it’s just a strong showcase such as a mood that comes from music like the scent from another time.
Her lyrics are intelligent. Her vocal prowess is rich on tunes like “Let Them Be.” A lovely song that winds itself around the mind & the memory. It’s accentuated by the purity of her backup singers. Amy never loses sight of the genre because by track 3 “Down and Out In Denver,” she employs a back porch banjo ethic & her narrative is never heavy-handed. She may even sound a bit like early Joni Mitchell (“Nathan La Franeer”) in her higher folky register.
Ms. Annelle seems to never run out of genres to explore or how to express herself in creative ways through her musical palette. With “I Loved a Lad,” she adds wonderful sounds laced with strings & adhesive percussion. A well-arranged & thought-out tune.
I’d like to think that if Joni Mitchell didn’t go jazzy & hadn’t suffered health issues this might be where she’d be. Immersed in the sustenance of folk/balladry as divergent as Amy’s. This is mature. The instrumentation winds around tightly with delicacy in its interplay. An envious performance. This isn’t the work of a novice but an exceptionally polished artist with the virtuosity of her musicians.
Is there a sense of humor? Yes. On “Common Law Marriage,” it’s a slice of country but Amy runs a slender finger across the Laura Nyro glass. With “That Lonesome Whistle,” this drips of Dory Previn’s phrasing & intonation. Well woven stuff.
Highlights – “Pull Tabs & Broken Glass,” “Let Me Be,” “Down and Out In Denver,” “I Loved a Lad,” “The Gate,” “Why Did He Take His Love Away?” “Common Law Marriage” & “That Lonesome Whistle.”
Musicians – Thom Washburn (drums/vocals/percussion), Beth Chrisman (violin), Henna Chou (cello), Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel), Elaine Barber (harp), Brian Beatie (celeste) & Jolie Holland (backing vocal).
LP photography: Philip Rogers. Sepia image courtesy of her Bandcamp site. Lyrics included. CD @ Bandcamp + https://highplainssigh.com/here & https://highplainssigh.com/amy-annelle
