Description:
This isn't your older sister's folk music. Though Thea Gilmore's flair for poetic imagery and the lilt of her phrasing place her within the troubadour tradition, the rock dynamics of her raw, edgy band, augmented by the occasional rhythm loop, suggest a more contemporary appeal to the young British artist's generation. While paying homage to Bob Dylan with an atmospheric reading of "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" and to Bruce Springsteen with a bonus version of "Cover Me," she sounds more like Alanis Morissette on the album-opening "Down to Nowhere" and rocks with the hard-bitten bravura of Chrissi
This isn't your older sister's folk music. Though Thea Gilmore's flair for poetic imagery and the lilt of her phrasing place her within the troubadour tradition, the rock dynamics of her raw, edgy band, augmented by the occasional rhythm loop, suggest a more contemporary appeal to the young British artist's generation. While paying homage to Bob Dylan with an atmospheric reading of "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" and to Bruce Springsteen with a bonus version of "Cover Me," she sounds more like Alanis Morissette on the album-opening "Down to Nowhere" and rocks with the hard-bitten bravura of Chrissie Hynde on "When Did You Get So Safe?" and "Lip Reading." A hypnotic, meditative pulse provides the perfect complement to the stark lyric of "The Dirt Is Your Lover Now," while the rootsy Americana of "Mud on My Shoes" finds Gilmore in a more playful mood. In addition to the two bonus tracks added to the "official" ten-track release, Gilmore offers an 11-song second disc, a grab-bag of rarities and limited-edition releases. --Don McLeese
Album Description
"One of the most promising and provocative singer/songwriters to emerge from England in years, Gilmore detangles sex, religion, and politics with a literate eloquence and defiance that recall the early poetic eruptions of Bob Dylan." --USA TodayIt is not unusual for a songwriter to stray from the beaten path as they mature, to experiment more intrepidly and find a thoroughly distinctive voice. But when this happens at age 25, people take notice.It is fitting that Thea Gilmore conceived Songs from the Gutter as part of a Bob Dylan tribute album. Like the obstinate American songwriter to whom she is frequently compared, Gilmore seemed unshackled by convention even in her early work, able to escape the confines of both genre and industry and give her creativity space to grow.Gilmore believes that audiences don't want to be pandered to and that people will respond to honest expression more than accessibility. The young Brit's respect for music listeners paid off and accolades poured in from such respected sources as USA Today, Mojo, and the Guardian. Gilmore was invited to appear on Radio 4 and at Glastonbury Festival, one of the UK's largest musical events. In the fall of 2004, she toured the US with Joan Baez.A steadfastly original lyricist generating recordings at a breakneck pace, Gilmore has kept her growing fan base almost satisfied with a new project nearly every year. While most of her peers spend years in the planning stages, Gilmore takes her ideas to the studio quickly, capturing the muse of the moment and allowing it to be whatever it is, whether that fits in with any larger trajectory or career plan--or not. Following the highly successful 2003 release of Rules for Jokers, Gilmore changed direction with 2004's lush Avalanche.Songs from the Gutter is a textbook example of Gilmore's method of creation. Invited to contribute to a Bob Dylan tribute CD sponsored by Uncut magazine, the ever-generating artist found herself in a studio in Cheadle Hulme in May of 2002. Five days later she emerged with ten tracks, which she promptly added to several older, unavailable cuts for an internet-only, double album release. Nigel Stonier's production and a mastering job at Abbey Road polished the collection without taking away any of its nerve, and fans clamored for the disc at Gilmore's live shows. Making its American debut on Compass Records, Songs from the Gutter glimmers with the immediacy and unpredictability of Gilmore's performances, delving into her darker, grittier side.
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Manufacturer: Compass Records
Release date: 30 August 2005
EAN: 0766397441528 UPC: 766397441528
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