Ashley E. Norton – Call of the Void
Coming out of the Arizona music scene but now California-based Ashley E. Norton (acoustic guitar/ukelele/vocals) focuses on songs about cruising America, falling in love, experiencing the dark side of emotions, the secrets of women, surviving with a broken heart, being overworked, the loss of dear friends, the joys of small things & the ever-present allure of the cowboy.
There are 10 tidy Nashville recorded tunes that echo through Call of the Void (Drops Aug 16/Independent/35:26) produced by Johnny Garcia (lead guitar/bass/drums/all instruments). Ashley’s vocals are not wimpy, childish, or too entrenched in pop-country sweetness & she has an authoritative voice. Ms. Norton’s not as raw as Lucinda Williams, poppy as Shania Twain, or as folky as Mary Chapin Carpenter. What she reflects is what Sheryl Crow started to be & then faded.
The songs have intensity without losing their entertaining value. “Americana To Me,” dispenses with a good melody while “Every Woman I Know,” is gutsy, darker & has a Merilee Rush-type country shadowy tint (“Angel of the Morning,” “Reach Out”). This is wonderfully arranged with backup vocals equally lavish. Real cool.
Ashley has good instincts. “Baby Blue Gene” is a bit more playful & humorous, but it’s loaded with commercial potential & mainstream density. The guitars chime but there’s no tweaking on Ashley’s voice as she sings it all straight with lots of intonation & good phrasing. It’s a hot number with a hefty guitar solo & tight drums.
Perhaps “Call of the Void,” itself is the weaker link. Ashley sings this one piece more like a European chanteuse than a country artist. What’s at work here is her dramatic over-emoting nightclub projecting tone. Ms. Norton succeeds through the song as a singer, but the song sounds a little out of place among the other tunes.
But then surprises rear their heads. A cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Going To California,” is brilliant. Ashley breathes new life into an old song that is miles away from Americana but here she adopts the orphan stylistically in a banquet of sound. Her voice is excellently captured & sings with good imaginative intensity. I’m sure Robert Plant would be impressed.
“It Doesn’t Matter” is a dark narrative, well written & possessing lots of atmosphere. One of the best tunes on the set. Maybe for me because those 3 words are recalled by James Dean as he said them over & over to his parents in “Rebel Without a Cause.”
Some songs are fairly basic, with novelty additives (“I Wish”) & typical of the genre (to be expected), but the musicianship & vocals are always reliable, delivered with energy & exuberance.
Highlights – “Americana To Me,” “Every Woman I Know,” “Baby Blue Gene,” “Going To California” & “It Doesn’t Matter.”
Musicians – Jimmy Mattingly (cello/violin/fiddle)
CD cover pics courtesy of John Hancock. Color image courtesy of Black Oak Artists. CD @ https://ashleyenorton.com/
Check out our song premiere here: Song Premiere: Ashley E Norton “Americana To Me”
