AMBER CROSS - SAVAGE ON THE DOWNHILL
2017 - Self Released
On the strength of the very first listening session this incredible album slid effortlessly in amongst the favourites to be my album of the year. With subsequent listening sessions that feeling has strengthened to such a degree that my ears have transmitted to what passes for my brain the fact that there is nothing that could be done to improve on it! Amber Cross is an incredibly talented songwriter who writes from life and has a talent for melody that must be the envy of her peers, not that there are many of those. Whilst 'authenticity' is an overused word (often by me) I don't think anyone hearing even one song from this album will disagree that this lady has that by the truck load, much of it coming from that strong forceful 'rurality' that is at the root of her music.
In some ways Amber's voice has a built in aggression, not in terms of wanting to fight everyone but more akin to what we could imagine is the sound of someone who grew up in a poor rural community who has had to fight every step of her way through life and knows no other way. Perhaps 'total commitment' would be a better description but whatever words we choose this is a lady who really 'means' her music, perhaps more so than anyone else I can think of. I neither know nor am suggesting that the 'fighting' and the poverty has been Amber's life but her voice has a totally unique, hard driving femininity, in some ways similar to a young Nanci Griffith, whose 'spiky,' twangy vocal projections dominated all of her songs, giving them a rural feel. To heighten the appeal there are sometimes little notes of vulnerability that creep in, nothing particularly overt, but something that adds to her humanity and enhances the projection of this tough sassy character that has great depth and is not to be messed with! I neither know, nor care, if that is a summation of Amber, I suspect not, but all singer songwriters are creating characters whether from life or fiction; she just happens to be better at it than just about anyone else I can think of. Somehow she has the unique ability to virtually make her voice become part of every story rather than just 'singing the songs,' to such a degree that it is impossible to separate Amber from the characters she is writing and singing about.
The album was produced by talented singer songwriter Ray Bonneville, with musical assistance from artists of the calibre of Gurf Morlix and Tim O' Brien. I'm not a lover of using the quotes of others but because they perfectly encapsulate my feelings I'm going to. From Ray, “What can I say about Amber Cross but that she will knock you over! Amber takes no prisoners!” Tim O' Brien said “Love the no-bullshit style of singing” and Gurf Morlix ventured “Amber Cross has got her Savage on the Downhill. She knows how to use it, and she's not afraid. Do not take this lightly.” As I said I don't like using quotes but I guarantee anyone hearing this recording will know exactly where they are coming from. Amber's lyrics are powerfully poetic, whilst thematically her songs are rooted in rural life but with an occasional urban edge that should appeal to all tastes.
Nine of the ten songs were written by Amber, the exception being the superb album closer, Ray Bonneville's beautiful Lone Freighter's Wail, a song that Amber performs as if one of her own on this perfect end to a perfect album. It is a tremendous, easy going country song on which Amber is supported by a lovely melodic twangy electric guitar with easy rolling percussion and bass. Her voice is quite stunning, having a raw, almost untutored edginess that comes across as an instrument of natural beauty and there is no holding back on her drive and power in evoking this tremendous song's lyrics. On Pack of lies the acoustic guitar, percussion and bass drive a composition that is close to mid tempo on a beautifully built tale that has a hugely appealing melody, with Ambers incredible vocals challenging any instrument to try to dominate her, latterly including a gorgeously melodic twangy guitar solo breaking the song up and increasing the power. Whilst this song has an 'easy rolling' tempo there is nothing but intense drama in the lyrics that tell of desperation and huge regret but with no sign of redemption or comfort. We've all been there; done things we regret, some more than others, and know there is nothing that can ever put things right but still we desperately try. There are lovely chiming guitars with percussion on Eagle and blue, a tremendously evocative song that conjures up the Texas/ Rio Grande area whilst having a sad sub plot of a relationship that is gradually fracturing. There are some excellent male harmonies and a lovely melodic twang with a solid 'bar room' percussion and some nice harmonica for good measure, to further deepen the atmosphere. Echoes is propelled by a beautiful steel guitar with metronomic bass and percussion assisted by restrained guitar allowing Ambers vocal to do full credit to a tremendous song that slowly but surely builds in a kind of suppressed power and tells a highly descriptive tale of the aging process of a couple long after the kids have left home. There is not only the thread of the story but also in just a few words the minutiae of her reflections and feelings, always underpinned by the solid bass and percussion and the beauty of the weeping steel guitar. Finally, Amber has just acoustic guitar for support on Trinity gold mine, a tremendous, rural story song, with her vocal again showing a powerful depth of character. It is actually a song that has a deep almost cinematic quality in its depiction of an 'outsider' who seems to be accepting of the hand that life has dealt her.
There is power and the ability to project her hugely evocative, yet down to earth voice whilst still holding on to the essential rurality and femininity that must surely give her a huge advantage over just about everyone else in country music. This is not a lady who will benefit from Nashville's sanitization and big production; she needs to be nurtured and for her talent to maintain its fulfillment without any outside interference. She certainly has a unique talent and one that I'm pretty sure many of Nashville's finest would kill to possess! We all know that dirty word 'promotion' is an essential part of making it big in the music industry but surely someone will eventually 'make it big' through word of mouth (or the www!) and sheer talent alone. Amber Cross is ready and waiting with an album that is set to achieve greatness and could and should eventually be looked upon as a classic of modern 'rural' country music! In my house it is already.
The album will be released on 21st July.
https://www.ambercrossmusic.com/
On the strength of the very first listening session this incredible album slid effortlessly in amongst the favourites to be my album of the year. With subsequent listening sessions that feeling has strengthened to such a degree that my ears have transmitted to what passes for my brain the fact that there is nothing that could be done to improve on it! Amber Cross is an incredibly talented songwriter who writes from life and has a talent for melody that must be the envy of her peers, not that there are many of those. Whilst 'authenticity' is an overused word (often by me) I don't think anyone hearing even one song from this album will disagree that this lady has that by the truck load, much of it coming from that strong forceful 'rurality' that is at the root of her music.
In some ways Amber's voice has a built in aggression, not in terms of wanting to fight everyone but more akin to what we could imagine is the sound of someone who grew up in a poor rural community who has had to fight every step of her way through life and knows no other way. Perhaps 'total commitment' would be a better description but whatever words we choose this is a lady who really 'means' her music, perhaps more so than anyone else I can think of. I neither know nor am suggesting that the 'fighting' and the poverty has been Amber's life but her voice has a totally unique, hard driving femininity, in some ways similar to a young Nanci Griffith, whose 'spiky,' twangy vocal projections dominated all of her songs, giving them a rural feel. To heighten the appeal there are sometimes little notes of vulnerability that creep in, nothing particularly overt, but something that adds to her humanity and enhances the projection of this tough sassy character that has great depth and is not to be messed with! I neither know, nor care, if that is a summation of Amber, I suspect not, but all singer songwriters are creating characters whether from life or fiction; she just happens to be better at it than just about anyone else I can think of. Somehow she has the unique ability to virtually make her voice become part of every story rather than just 'singing the songs,' to such a degree that it is impossible to separate Amber from the characters she is writing and singing about.
The album was produced by talented singer songwriter Ray Bonneville, with musical assistance from artists of the calibre of Gurf Morlix and Tim O' Brien. I'm not a lover of using the quotes of others but because they perfectly encapsulate my feelings I'm going to. From Ray, “What can I say about Amber Cross but that she will knock you over! Amber takes no prisoners!” Tim O' Brien said “Love the no-bullshit style of singing” and Gurf Morlix ventured “Amber Cross has got her Savage on the Downhill. She knows how to use it, and she's not afraid. Do not take this lightly.” As I said I don't like using quotes but I guarantee anyone hearing this recording will know exactly where they are coming from. Amber's lyrics are powerfully poetic, whilst thematically her songs are rooted in rural life but with an occasional urban edge that should appeal to all tastes.
Nine of the ten songs were written by Amber, the exception being the superb album closer, Ray Bonneville's beautiful Lone Freighter's Wail, a song that Amber performs as if one of her own on this perfect end to a perfect album. It is a tremendous, easy going country song on which Amber is supported by a lovely melodic twangy electric guitar with easy rolling percussion and bass. Her voice is quite stunning, having a raw, almost untutored edginess that comes across as an instrument of natural beauty and there is no holding back on her drive and power in evoking this tremendous song's lyrics. On Pack of lies the acoustic guitar, percussion and bass drive a composition that is close to mid tempo on a beautifully built tale that has a hugely appealing melody, with Ambers incredible vocals challenging any instrument to try to dominate her, latterly including a gorgeously melodic twangy guitar solo breaking the song up and increasing the power. Whilst this song has an 'easy rolling' tempo there is nothing but intense drama in the lyrics that tell of desperation and huge regret but with no sign of redemption or comfort. We've all been there; done things we regret, some more than others, and know there is nothing that can ever put things right but still we desperately try. There are lovely chiming guitars with percussion on Eagle and blue, a tremendously evocative song that conjures up the Texas/ Rio Grande area whilst having a sad sub plot of a relationship that is gradually fracturing. There are some excellent male harmonies and a lovely melodic twang with a solid 'bar room' percussion and some nice harmonica for good measure, to further deepen the atmosphere. Echoes is propelled by a beautiful steel guitar with metronomic bass and percussion assisted by restrained guitar allowing Ambers vocal to do full credit to a tremendous song that slowly but surely builds in a kind of suppressed power and tells a highly descriptive tale of the aging process of a couple long after the kids have left home. There is not only the thread of the story but also in just a few words the minutiae of her reflections and feelings, always underpinned by the solid bass and percussion and the beauty of the weeping steel guitar. Finally, Amber has just acoustic guitar for support on Trinity gold mine, a tremendous, rural story song, with her vocal again showing a powerful depth of character. It is actually a song that has a deep almost cinematic quality in its depiction of an 'outsider' who seems to be accepting of the hand that life has dealt her.
There is power and the ability to project her hugely evocative, yet down to earth voice whilst still holding on to the essential rurality and femininity that must surely give her a huge advantage over just about everyone else in country music. This is not a lady who will benefit from Nashville's sanitization and big production; she needs to be nurtured and for her talent to maintain its fulfillment without any outside interference. She certainly has a unique talent and one that I'm pretty sure many of Nashville's finest would kill to possess! We all know that dirty word 'promotion' is an essential part of making it big in the music industry but surely someone will eventually 'make it big' through word of mouth (or the www!) and sheer talent alone. Amber Cross is ready and waiting with an album that is set to achieve greatness and could and should eventually be looked upon as a classic of modern 'rural' country music! In my house it is already.
The album will be released on 21st July.
https://www.ambercrossmusic.com/