I’m feeling a bit out of shape
lately. Not enough time at the gym, plus I’m not getting any younger. Mostly
the first one though. The mind will always find excuses to avoid exercise – my latest
are the very common “working too many hours” and the more obscure “healing up
from tattoos.”
I need to power through the resulting
inertia before I sink so deep into my couch I can’t pull myself back out. I am
totally going to do that…tomorrow.
Disc 760 is….These Wilder Things
Artist: Ruth
Moody
Year of Release: 2013
What’s up with the Cover? This scene looks like it is from
some alternate Grimm’s Fairy Tales universe where everything is fantastical,
adventurous and slightly creepy. I love it.
How I Came To Know It: I know Ruth Moody originally as
one third of the Wailin’ Jennys. This is her second solo album, and since I
liked the first one I took a flier on “These Wilder Things.”
How It Stacks Up: Moody has only two solo albums,
this one and 2010’s “The Garden.” I’d put “These Wilder Things” second of the
two of them.
Ratings: 3 stars
“These Wilder Things” is an album full of quiet
beauty. Sometimes it is a bit too quiet, but even at those times Ruth Moody’s
artistry shines through.
Ruth Moody has long been my favourite third of the
Wailin’ Jennys (apologies to Nicky and Heather). Her voice is high and pure,
her banjo playing is sweet and soulful and her songs are often my favourites on
Jennys albums. Although entirely irrelevant to her music, I’d be lying if I
didn’t also mention that I find her exceedingly easy on the eyes. So Ruth, if
you ever want to chill and play some records, let me know. I can’t sing or play
for shit, but that’s why I have this great music collection. But I digress…
Like her first solo album, the songs on “These
Wilder Things” are straight up folk songs, each with a free and easy roll to
them. The production by David
Travers-Smith focuses on Moody’s voice and the purity of the various musicians.
He is willing to keep things simple, starting with one or two sounds and adding
one or two more as the song progresses, but never overdoing it. More producers
need to learn what folk music has known for years – it is about the music and
the skill of the players. Relax, sit back, and let those things shine through.
Moody has a talent for writing quietly romantic
songs and on this album, and even though some of the romances fail, she makes
them sound like they were a whimsical journey all the same. Some, like “One and Only” should fail on the grounds
of being overly precious, but Moody always avoids coming off too saccharine.
She then moves into a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” which doesn’t have nearly
the angst of the original but also doesn’t have all that weird synthesizer. I
enjoyed hearing it re-imagined as a folk song.
I was surprised to find places where Moody’s vocals
let me down. Nothing terrible, b ut sometimes her breathy voice gets a bit too
breathy, or loses some of its emotional resonance. Other times she clips the
end of her lines, at the expense of the lyric.
Fortunately, these moments are few and far between and
when she nails it, as she does on the title track, she really nails it. “These Wilder Things” feels like a confession,
and gives you a glimpse of what it would be like to have a heart so big and
bold that you have to sing just to take the pressure off so you don’t explode.
From the release:
“And letting go is the hardest
party
When holding on has been
everything
Well I have this pain deep in my
heart
That’s why I sing, that’s why I
sing”
To an understanding that the very unruly spirit that
makes her feel sadness so deeply, also empowers her to come to terms with it, and
create something beautiful:
“And I will waste my heart on
fear no more
I will find a secret bell and
make it ring
And let the rest be washed up on
the shore
They can’t be tamed, these wilder
things
No they can’t be tamed, these
wilder things.”
Later “Pockets”
kindles the same untamed love, although here it is less the lyrical and vocal
power of Moody and more her secret weapon; Mark Knopfler playing guitar. Moody
helped him out on his 2012 album “Privateering” (reviewed back at Disc 748)
so not a bad favour to cash in. Well played, Ruth, well played.
My favourite track is “Life is Long.” It features an understated fiddle and a mournful low
whistle (played beautifully by Mike McGoldrick). If you’ve heard Knopfler’s
recent solo work the structure of this song will feel very familiar. Moody and
Knopfler are influencing one another’s writing and that’s good news for fans of
both of them.
While a bit too quiet in places for me, for the most
part “These Wilder Things” is graceful, thoughtful and a worthy addition to my
folk music collection.
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