KELLY HUNT - EVEN THE SPARROW
2019 - Self Released
Kelly Hunt is one of the most original 'folk' musicians I've heard for many a long year and as a vocalist is up there with the giants of folk music. As is usual in the case of labels, calling her a folk musician tells a miniscule part of the story. Certainly there is a lot of folk in her music but it blends with old time 'Hillbilly' music, country, even on this recording showing that she has the vocal chops for gospel music!
On this, her debut album, Kelly was helped out by collaborator, multi instrumentalist, singer songwriter Stas' Heaney and musician, producer, engineer Kelly Werts, and what an album this combination has come up with. Not only do her songs and the arrangements show a huge amount of originality but even her vocal style is creative, enabling her to evoke myriad worlds, and depict emotions and situations in a way that few others (maybe Joni Mitchell?) have ever managed, although Kelly's voice has a more 'down to earth' beauty than Joni's.
In the past I've sometimes found that folk albums containing sparse arrangements leave no real lasting impression and thus are easily forgotten. Perhaps that can be due to a lack of lyrical quality, or maybe the melodies are bland or even an absence of vocal character, but not so this one! I'm a sucker for the banjo and fiddle, the two instruments that dominate on this recording, but here they are never over used. Kelly and the producer had the confidence in her writing to allow her lovely voice to roam free through these beautifully written tales, rising and falling in intensity and dramatic quality. On so many albums the arrangements are overdone but here they are just about perfect, in fact whilst the tempo's don't vary a huge amount, the lyrical content does and with that beautifully arranged sparse instrumentation there is a feeling of great diversity to the album.
On the title track, Even the Sparrow, the mournful fiddle and banjo provide more than enough company for Kelly's gorgeous vocals but with a voice that contains as much character as Kelly's further colouring is not only unnecessary but unwanted. The mournful instrumentation helps build an atmosphere but it's Kelly's vocal that stands out, as it should do on a beautiful 'folk' song. The banjo sets the scene on Sunshine long overdue, soon joined by Kelly's beautiful expressive vocal and as the song starts to grip the listener with Kelly's voice rising and falling the mournful fiddle makes its entry creating an atmosphere that is difficult to describe although it seems to veer from upbeat to mournful, again with Kelly's vocal depictions creating different worlds. Save for a little percussive thudding Delta blues is a completely unaccompanied blues/gospel song that tells the now legendary story of someone who got their blues chops from the devil! Kelly's restrained banjo and lovely expressive vocal, eventually joined by acoustic guitar and fiddle, are to the fore on O brother, where art thou, a song that goes from almost a cappella to a much fuller sound before slowing down towards the end on a powerful rural sounding tale. With the flexibility of Kelly's voice this song makes it difficult to accept that this is her first album, that flexibility being such that few can match it. A stunning song that as it flows changes textures and emotions. There is a complete change of tempo and texture on the final track, Gloryland, on which the banjo just plays the rhythm with guitar the more dominant on a song that has a strong gospel element particularly with the background vocalists and harmonies. The organ eventually comes in strongly as the gospel vocals lift and reach a virtual crescendo on this tremendous conclusion to a tremendous album.
It's rare that I've been as impressed by a debut album as I am by this one and I'm already impatient for its follow up. Kelly Hunt is an artist who has a great and unique talent that deserves to be heard by many more people, so go out and buy this stunning album (or stay in and purchase it on the www!) and prove me right.
http://www.kellyhuntmusic.com
Kelly Hunt is one of the most original 'folk' musicians I've heard for many a long year and as a vocalist is up there with the giants of folk music. As is usual in the case of labels, calling her a folk musician tells a miniscule part of the story. Certainly there is a lot of folk in her music but it blends with old time 'Hillbilly' music, country, even on this recording showing that she has the vocal chops for gospel music!
On this, her debut album, Kelly was helped out by collaborator, multi instrumentalist, singer songwriter Stas' Heaney and musician, producer, engineer Kelly Werts, and what an album this combination has come up with. Not only do her songs and the arrangements show a huge amount of originality but even her vocal style is creative, enabling her to evoke myriad worlds, and depict emotions and situations in a way that few others (maybe Joni Mitchell?) have ever managed, although Kelly's voice has a more 'down to earth' beauty than Joni's.
In the past I've sometimes found that folk albums containing sparse arrangements leave no real lasting impression and thus are easily forgotten. Perhaps that can be due to a lack of lyrical quality, or maybe the melodies are bland or even an absence of vocal character, but not so this one! I'm a sucker for the banjo and fiddle, the two instruments that dominate on this recording, but here they are never over used. Kelly and the producer had the confidence in her writing to allow her lovely voice to roam free through these beautifully written tales, rising and falling in intensity and dramatic quality. On so many albums the arrangements are overdone but here they are just about perfect, in fact whilst the tempo's don't vary a huge amount, the lyrical content does and with that beautifully arranged sparse instrumentation there is a feeling of great diversity to the album.
On the title track, Even the Sparrow, the mournful fiddle and banjo provide more than enough company for Kelly's gorgeous vocals but with a voice that contains as much character as Kelly's further colouring is not only unnecessary but unwanted. The mournful instrumentation helps build an atmosphere but it's Kelly's vocal that stands out, as it should do on a beautiful 'folk' song. The banjo sets the scene on Sunshine long overdue, soon joined by Kelly's beautiful expressive vocal and as the song starts to grip the listener with Kelly's voice rising and falling the mournful fiddle makes its entry creating an atmosphere that is difficult to describe although it seems to veer from upbeat to mournful, again with Kelly's vocal depictions creating different worlds. Save for a little percussive thudding Delta blues is a completely unaccompanied blues/gospel song that tells the now legendary story of someone who got their blues chops from the devil! Kelly's restrained banjo and lovely expressive vocal, eventually joined by acoustic guitar and fiddle, are to the fore on O brother, where art thou, a song that goes from almost a cappella to a much fuller sound before slowing down towards the end on a powerful rural sounding tale. With the flexibility of Kelly's voice this song makes it difficult to accept that this is her first album, that flexibility being such that few can match it. A stunning song that as it flows changes textures and emotions. There is a complete change of tempo and texture on the final track, Gloryland, on which the banjo just plays the rhythm with guitar the more dominant on a song that has a strong gospel element particularly with the background vocalists and harmonies. The organ eventually comes in strongly as the gospel vocals lift and reach a virtual crescendo on this tremendous conclusion to a tremendous album.
It's rare that I've been as impressed by a debut album as I am by this one and I'm already impatient for its follow up. Kelly Hunt is an artist who has a great and unique talent that deserves to be heard by many more people, so go out and buy this stunning album (or stay in and purchase it on the www!) and prove me right.
http://www.kellyhuntmusic.com