Mean Mary – Woman Creature (Portrait of a Woman, Part 2)
I’m not entirely familiar with Mean Mary’s previous albums, but the only weakness is the cartoony cover art. I immediately thought it was a Halloween collection. Some rockabilly silly songs about werewolves, witches & coffins.
But the music is indeed melodic, well-crafted & sung. It’s far more interesting than the cover illustration depicts. Mean Mary isn’t quite gothic, but her music has its conundrum & shadows — all with sophistication. I understand the inclusion of a wildness to the showcase with dark humor but there isn’t much to incline this toward a rural mystery, deep roots & Americana.
The 10 striking tunes carried by Woman Creature (Portrait of a Woman, Part 2) – (Drops Oct 4/Woodrock Records) were produced & arranged by Mary James (vocals/guitars/banjo/6-string banjo/castanets/violin/creature howls). Mary blends various genres with expertise & there’s no lack of emotion in her music. Mean Mary has a distinctively & consistently strong vocal & excellent banjo skills.
But some will have to pick up the LP on a gamble based on the song titles which in some spots is compelling. What is powerful & pleasantly surprising is the wonderful Mean Mary vocals with an intense Jarboe (Swans) tough sound. The drama is there but, never overblown since the songs are decorated with a backwoods noir architecture.
I’m old school & never impressed by how many “views” (which translates to “listens”) an artist’s music gets on Spotify or YouTube. It could simply be curious listeners who listen once, maybe twice. But Mean Mary is worthy of multiple listens with no gimmicks. She has an approach that’s coherent if not interesting & it’s never bombastic or pretentious.
When all is said & done about packaging & marketing the real test is the music & performance. The music is here & the performance is eloquent. But…but…the CD artwork does not “sell” this fact to a mature customer or a standard Americana-folk/rock fan. The material is sold to people already familiar with Mary – but she deserves an even wider set of ears. She deserves better…far better.
The showcase by her musicians is a persuasive performance with many tasty moments that are often outstanding. The first 3 tracks are all wonderfully displayed & “Oh Jane” & “Tarzan” are diamond-sharp showcases. Many songs are superior, edgy Americana & Mary’s voice is the key to the exceptional performances.
Highlights – “Revenge,” “Woman Creature,” “Oh Jane,” “Tarzan,” “Mr. What A Catch I Am,” “Murder Creek” & “Frozen Strings.”
Musicians – Frank James (vocals/12-string guitar/jungle animals), Oli Hayhurst & Brent Layman (upright bass), David Larsen & Walter Cellini (bass), David Henry (upright bass/cello/violas), Jon Sterckx (tabla/percussion), Larry Salzman & Iuri Oliveira (percussion), Andy Kruspe (bodhran/percussion), Nomad (piano) & Nick Buda (drums).
Color image courtesy of Johnny Giles. CD @ Target + https://meanmary.com/home
Video Premiere: Mean Mary “Tarzan”
