| Crooked Still - Still Crooked | |
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It's an amazing thing that happens when a group of young, brilliant, virtuosic musicians get together and decide to change things up. Crooked Still is exactly that and they have taken a blow torch and slide rule to the genre of Bluegrass and created a magnificent collage of style and imagination. This is a collection of songs that defy guidelines and boundaries, blending an almost scientific approach to music formula with the most basic expressions of emotion and storytelling. A spellbinding release, you can't stop listening to this album from beginning to end. Aoife O'Donovan, Greg Liszt, Corey DiMario, Brittany Haas and Tristan Clarridge make up the ensemble and creatively speaking, no stone has gone unturned on this release, even the way it was recorded, live in a large room, all together, after three days of intense rehearsal. The complicated arrangements, which include a banjo, cello, five string fiddle, baritone ukulele, glockenspiel, tenor guitar, and racket are designed to be powerful, sparring and perfectly matched with the vocals of O'Donovan, who, by the way, sings so well she borders on being an 'evil creation of gypsies', mesmerizing, otherworldly. Her breathy, lilting vocals weave through these ancient tales as if she were the lone survivor of a foregone age, the only one that's qualified to sing them. 'Captain, Captain' is an over 400 year old song but O'Donovan brings it to the 21st century and makes it her own in a fresh, new, intellectually sexy way. Some call it a 'folk revival movement' but it is a musical hybrid that's hard to define. One thing is for certain, this album will be huge. It's already getting rave reviews and attention all over the world and by all accounts is considered one of the top cutting edge albums of the year. For more info, check out their website, www.crookedstill.com or www.myspace.com/crookedstill You are going to love it.
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