PIETA BROWN – MERCURY
- Author:
- Cameron Barnett
- Posted:
- Monday, 13 February 2012
Much of Pieta Brown’s youth was spent moving from place to place between the U.S. states of Ohio and Alabama. But though an unsettled upbringing it may have been, this restlessness has carried on into her music with striking results. Mercury begins with the bouncy bluegrass of Be With You, moving swiftly into sultry blues territory on Butterfly Blues. Throughout the album, Brown effortlessly applies her smoky voice to each cornerstone of the American folk sound – be it the jazz-flavoured I’m Gone, the blues jam which is Night All Day or the more contemporary country stylings of the title track. Brown is no Shania Twain or Taylor Swift, though. Her more laid-back approach to singing and song-writing means that the skills of the musicians are spotlighted as much as she is. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame contributes guitar to the album highlight So Many Miles, and he is one of many big names with whom Brown has already worked with. As with many albums of this nature, the lack of a truly up-beat number on Mercury may leave some listeners bored or restless themselves. But if a smooth-voiced country girl roping in all the great sounds of the U.S.A. sounds enticing, Pieta Brown’s got you covered.
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Story posted on Monday, 13 February 2012, filed under CD Reviews. Follow responses via the RSS feed.
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