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Anaïs Mitchell – The Brightness
Anaïs’ journey over her three previos albums has been the perfect independent singer/songwriter model; from a self released disc, to a small but respected indie (Waterbug), and her new album has been licensed to a larger label with worldwide coverage – that’s quite some progression for a folky singer/songwriter! What makes this more impressive is that she’s an intelligent, challenging and thought-provoking writer who favours acoustic stylings over rich presentation, and her success is down to the overall quality of her writing and performances.
While she’s rapidly moved up the label food chain, she’s kept her distinct sound and this feels like an independent homemade album that has direct links to her previous work.
The one thing that really stands out is Anaïs’ writing, like the discs that precede it the songs on ‘The Brightness’ cover some ground and the listener is taken from Bethlehem to New Orleans and from Virginia to New Mexico – at times her writing feels like a journal of events (either real and fictional) and her thoughts & opinions all mixed together; and she’s comfortable tackling both political and personal subjects.
Her vocals are always going to attract comment, they’re distinct and immediately identifiable, but once the first few seconds of the opening track have passed and you’re ‘tuned in’ to her style the vocals really add to overall feel of the disc. The almost total lack of percussion and the simple arrangements highlight the vocals and lyrics and allow the acoustic guitar work and occasional piano to form the structure for the 11 songs.
‘The Brightness’ is all about feel and atmosphere and she creates some memorable set pieces; ‘Song of the Magi’ is set in the war torn West Bank, ‘Out of Pawn’ in New Orleans, and ‘Old-Fashioned Hat’ is a fascinating study on life and relationships, and it’s testament to Anaïs’ skill as a writer that these and other disparate pieces sit together well to form a cohesive collection of songs.
Like ‘Hymns for the Exiled’ before it, this album shows Anais to be one of the most individual and independent artists around; this new album is a singularly distinct collection from one the finest young singer/songwriters around. While she may not be to everyone’s taste, those willing to invest time and effort into ‘The Brightness’ will find a disc with many rewards. Very highly recommended.
MITCHELL ANAIS - THE BRIGHTNESS
Mitchell Anais
CD (Cat No: 13219)
MITCHELL ANAIS - THE BRIGHTNESS
