Amy Helm – Silver City
Amy Helm is the immensely talented daughter of Levon Helm, drummer and co-lead singer for The Band. With that kind of background and a life infused with music, including years of playing and touring with Levon Helm, she has developed some serious chops.
That talent is displayed front and center on Amy Helm’s upcoming album, Silver City, which is being released on September 6, 2024. Americana Highways had the opportunity to get a pre-release of the album.
Silver City is Amy Helm’s fourth studio album. Intensely personal, each of the songs represent individual stories and glimpses into Helm’s life and experiences including her roles as artist, mother, wife, and woman, while also drawing inspiration from the strength and struggles of women generally.
Helm began the process of writing the songs on this album reminiscing about a young fan named Katie who died from an overdose. While that story did not make it into this album, its theme perhaps provided inspiration for the heartbreaking “Amen Anyway.”
Ultimately, Amy Helm viewed this album as representing a series of letters. As she says, “All of these songs were me speaking to somebody—either reaching out and asking questions, or asking them to reach back to me.”
Amy Helm has a voice that’s rich, vibrant and soulful. Her emotional range rings through as her vocalization varies from almost a soft whisper to a full-throated plaintive wail. Instant comparisons can be drawn to the voices of other powerful women such as Susan Tedeschi, Ani DiFranco and Sara Bareilles.
“Love Supreme” is the first offering. It starts out with a few guitar notes, lilting and a bit discordant, leading into Helm’s humming and soft vocals as she focuses on the best memories to cherish as time passes.
The background vocals and harmonies on Silver City are simply lovely throughout all of the songs on the album. On “Money on 7,” Helm’s ode to shunting away the fears of the night with each sunrise, the harmonies bring an almost gospel feel to the song.
Helm admits her difficulty in writing the song “Silver City,” as it deals with a partner succumbing to the temptations of younger offerings resulting in a hurtful divorce.
Helm’s voice draws the listener into her world and into the experiences and feelings she shares, taking one down her paths. Through her songs and her voice, as she opens her soul to examination, Helm achieves a kind of emotional release as if to say, life is hard and tests us all, but we will overcome in the end.
While the ten songs on Silver City portray raw personal emotion and angst, they never become maudlin or exercises in self-pity. Instead, they are deeply cathartic, also allowing the listener to find a kind of emotional release.
“Amen Anyway” takes you to the depths of Helm’s sorrow as she reflects on human frailty and the intense sense of loss. Starting simply with Josh Kaufman’s gentle keyboard, the lyrics and backing are spare and essential to the core of the message about succumbing to personal fragility.
As Helm sings “In the voice of my love before he OD’d in Atlanta/Who told me angels have to learn to sing alone,” her loss becomes palpable and tangible as she repeats in a whisper “alone, so alone.” As you imagine Helm hanging her head in sorrow, a heavenly crescendo begins with trombone notes and backing vocals. Helm’s voice then soars with inner strength and determination through the chorus. No listener can remain untouched by this poignant, haunting song.
While the tempo picks up with “Mount Guardian,” the message is no less painful as the loss of a spouse leaves one with the trials of single parenting—challenges that are met head on and successfully.
If there is any complaint to offer about Silver City, it is that each song simply seems to end too soon, leaving the listener wanting more.
Amy Helm is backed by an impressive and deeply talented group of musicians on the album. Her supporting artists include Josh Kaufman (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, organ), Daniel Littleton (acoustic and electric guitar), Annie Nero (upright and center bass), Charley Drayton and Tony Mason (drums, percussion), Stuart Bogie (tenor sax), Dave Nelson (trombone, trumpet, euphonium, and brass choirs), Marco Benevento (organ), and Adam Minkoff (bass, percussion). Elizabeth Mitchell, Catherine Russell, Adam Minkoff and Zach Djanikian provide the background vocals.
Silver City was produced by Josh Kaufman, with Charley Drayton co-producing “Mount Guardian.” The album was mixed and mastered by D. James Goodwin. Goodwin and Kaufman shared the engineering duties on the tracks, with assistance from Gillian Pelkonen and Connor Milton. Silver City was recorded at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY, and is being released on the historic Sun Record Company label.
From a mixing and engineering standpoint, the work is spot on. Each performer’s contribution is distinctly present in the recording, layered and fitting seamlessly while adding a unique complimentary piece to the overall puzzle. The overall impact of the recording increases the immersive experience of the music and the impact of the lyrics.
There are few works of music that can be characterized as truly cathartic. For me, Graham Nash’s 1971 album, Songs for Beginners, was one of those works when it helped me deal with loss during my late teens.
Silver City reaches this level of catharsis for Helm and likely for the listener. Experiencing and witnessing the angst, sorrow, and palpable emotion associated with personal loss presented in this album perhaps will provide some comfort and release to those also dealing with personal issues.
Silver City offers a unique addition to one’s overall musical experience to be revisited time and time again.
For more information about Amy Helm, including upcoming tour dates in support of Silver City, visit her website: https://www.amyhelm.com/home
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Amy Helm “What The Flood Leaves Behind”
Track listing:
Love Supreme
Money on 7
Baby Come Back
If I Was King
Silver City
Hwy 81
Dear Louisiana
Amen Anyway
Mount Guardian
Alameda
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