Upstate – Abalone
Listeners who enjoy the light-touch folky vocals of The Seekers with Judith Durham, the early Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny (“Who Knows Where the Time Goes”) & with Strawbs (“All I Need Is You”) will find this Upstate to their liking. Not as classically provocative as October Project with Mary Fahl or Renaissance with either Annie Haslam or Jane Relf, the music has folky elements remarkably close to mainstream pop. Evident in “Circumstance,” that is braided like a modern-day Peter, Paul & Mary with edgy lead guitar but that deeply affecting Mary Travers (“Follow Me”) quality vocally.
In their second decade, this collection opens with the airy “Corner,” & the upbeat samba percussive “Slow Down” offered up as a good distinctive unit, with voices of Melanie Glenn & Mary Webster adding bold strokes of vocal color similar to New Jersey’s The Roches embedded in clever musical compositions.
There are 10 delightful songs on Upstate’s 4th studio set Abalone (Dropped Nov 6/Royal Potato Family/36:24) recorded in Catskill, NY & recorded by Alex P. Wernquest. Even more mainstream, with their harmonies, is the upbeat “Dirt & Light,” with its organ swirls beside a snappy drumbeat & Glenn & Webster’s soaring vocals. Both ladies possess a good range & tonality. When they sing together, their unified voice is quite appealing.
Occasionally, they switch their style from the aggressive harmonic trio The Roches (“Hammond Song”) to the more Canadian folky McGarrigle Sisters (“Jacques Et Gilles,” “Why Must We Die”) & all this stylization is quite eloquent in their music. They don’t sound like either group, but they have that richness, the strength, creativity, & appeal. They take it a few feet past those artists as well, with more traditional endeavors such as the Appalachian harmonies of “Someone To Save” with fine acoustic guitar fingerpicking. They could sing with an artist like Taj Mahal.
The band goes a bit rockier with a good lead guitar grit on “Cassandra” & more R&B on “Being,” but while they continue to sound good, neither song is their cup of tea. Too Abba-drenched on the first one & overbaked on the second in a faux funk-lite flourish. The title track “Abalone” gets the artists back on track. Lovely, tranquil acoustic ballad with subtle guitars, both acoustic & electric, with well-articulated vocals. Strikingly good material & presentation.
Highlights – “Corner,” “Slow Down,” “Circumstance,” “Dirt & Light,” “Louie (Weight of Being Known”), “Someone To Save” & “Abalone.”
Musicians – Melanie Glenn (vocals/acoustic guitar), Mary Webster(vocals/clarinet), Dylan McKinstry (acoustic & electric guitars/mandolin/melodica/vocals), Harry D’Agostino (upright & electric bass) with John Suntken (drums) & Lee Bones (organ).
Color image courtesy of Julia Margo Ross. CD @ Bandcamp & https://upstatelovesyou.com/