Vernon singer/songwriter Carolyn Anele’s second recording, Where Birds Sing, mixes traditional themes and cosmopolitan country-rock songs.
The album also references her solitary folk roots. She’s a little bit Nashville, a little bit out on the open range.
Like her previous EP, Anele writes and sings about the landscape. She mixes those images with lyrics about living a simple life in a candid, off-hand manner. As such, her music has a wide range of appeal.
A Mother’s Prayer is a nod to modern country balladry, done Nashville-north style with a sensitive, ambitious arrangement. Anele’s vocal character has the stamp and authority of a natural and the emotion is always there. Her folk roots are in strong evidence on the album although she sticks to the girl-with-a-guitar stance rather than anything topical or political.
On songs like Coal Dust Sandwiches and Billy Miner’s Breath she steps out of that zone and into a country-rock vibe where her sound veers off to the left.
On songs like these she digs in and belts out the lyrics, bringing a husky edge to her tone. Her voice has a natural midrange and when she gets down, it matters. Those tracks and a few others could lose the accordion-friendly mix and stretch the sound with some raw electric guitar – a few extra decibels would match the intent of Anele’s vocals.
Her way with sunny subjects and sweet material (Where Birds Sing, Butterfly) is engaging but she reveals a potential for earthy matter on Hard Times and dark themes on Scared. The melodrama is strong in the delivery and brings on some heartache that cuts close to the bone.
Where Birds Sing is a deep recording with unpretentious material and an emotionally connected performance.
– Dean Gordon-Smith is a Vernon-based musician who reviews new releases for The Morning Star.
