Maisy Owen – Dark On a Sunny Day
This is the work of a Nashville native steeped in the melancholy artistic songwriting style of the late Nick Drake & the guitar purity of Bert Jansch, with influences from Mazzy Star & the late David Olney. Maisy delivers her songs with a strong tone & with sincerity, as apparent as that of the late Judee Sill (“The Kiss”). However, because her music is melancholy & pensive, the addition of vocal treatments, the endless ambient echo, I feel deters her message since it sounds like she’s singing in the bathroom. I’m not a producer, but suggest a warmer approach, especially with such poignant, strong & well-written songs.
Maisy (vocals/guitar/viola/bass/piano) is obviously in the folk tradition & doesn’t need the added effects to enhance or embellish her tonality. She sounds fine naturally (almost like Nick Drake’s mother, Molly, with her dark original songs or Connie Converse). Maisy would present a stronger image vocally with a more organic perception.
There are 8 temperate original tunes — cumulous in Dark On a Sunny Day (Dropped May 1/Independent) with the majority of her debut produced by Robin Eaton & “It All Ends the Same” produced by James Russell (piano). Maisy’s liveliest tune is the attractive title song. Lively percussion, a well-delivered vocal with strains of viola add mood & the guitar resonates nicely. Good performance, stronger if no effects.
“The Rest of Me,” produced by Maisy, has old English music styles – closer to Drake, Bert & even John Martyn. Her high voice has purity, is clear & sincere, much the same as early, early Marianne Faithfull (“Wild Mountain Thyme”), Mary Hopkin (“Goodbye”) & Linda Thompson (“Telling Me Lies”).
Another good one comes with the lyrically strong “On My Way Down,” catchy, with tweaks that could be a strong commercial mainstream hit for a pop artist. Maisy has good folk instincts, despite the vocal treatments. The songs are solid, interesting & do push forward a personality through the melodies. “I Can Be Just Like You” & “It All Ends the Same” have the picking & vocal application of Nick Drake – his warm, bracing voice isn’t in Maisy’s arsenal, but her lilting, gentle & emotional tone works equally well.
Despite Nashville roots, Maisy sounds more like an English vocalist because she projects that old world rural, pastoral & homegrown folk allure. There isn’t a hint of country or bluegrass in her fingerstyle picking. It’s all basically Scarborough fair & wild mountain Tyme tender, instinctually expressive.
I assume the cover’s a hat tip to Andrew Wyeth’s classic 1948 painting “Christina’s World.”
Highlights – “Dark On a Sunny Day,” “The Rest of Me,” “On My Way Down,” “I Can Be Just Like You,” & “It All Ends the Same.”
Musicians – John Radford (drums), Paul Defiglia & Dan Seymour (upright bass), Robin Eaton (bass) & Roger Moutenot (lap steel).
B&W photo by Joshua Black Wilkins. CD @ Bandcamp & https://www.maisyowen.com/