Carly Dow
Album: Ingrained
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.carlydowmusic.com

This album by Canadian artist Carly Dow was released back in her home country in May 2015, well ahead of the planned UK date of February 2016. I must admit Carly is an artist not previously known to me but a swift perusal of the accompanying promotional pack and a visit to her website promised much, particularly with references to soul-folk, Gillian Welch and Neko Case.

Well, I will truly nail my colours to the mast from the off and simply say I think this album is wonderful on all counts! It is packaged beautifully with tasteful, thematic artwork linking the CD cover, inlay and booklet. The recording and production are striking in their clarity, tone and breadth, covering all musical bases over the ten songs. There is a lot going on in these deceptively simple sounding tracks but each instrument has space to stretch and breathe in service of the song.

I think I am correct in saying that all of the ten tracks are narrated in the first person. Occasionally this can herald something over indulgent or grimly confessional, but not so here. Yes, familiar themes are covered, those of loss, love, hope, death and loneliness to name a few, but never at the expense of the song. Carly's quirky, smart lyrics, her striking vocals and the restless nature of the music keep it all fresh and original.

The opening track 'Olive Branch' is a beautiful vocal showcase that sets the bar for the next nine tracks. Largely acapella with some additional harmony vocals, stomps and handclaps it sounds both old and new with Carly's striking voice sitting somewhere between Rhiannon Giddens and Michelle Shocked. A dramatic entry and guaranteed to draw the listener in. Short and sweet at under two minutes, this track gives way to the sparsely drummed intro of 'Soil to Dust' and the incessant banjo riff over which Carly almost chants the lyrics.

I have played this CD a lot since getting the review copy and although I have personal favourites, each track very much stands on its own merits. However, I think the song sequence from tracks four to seven are the heart of this album and map all the musical landscapes covered.

Track four 'Not A Songbird' is another stripped back affair with a lovely vocal over the banjo line, faultless harmonies for the refrain and an atmospheric Rhodes drone underpinning it all. Track five 'Casanova' is almost a solo piece with its simple rhythm guitar playing and expressive vocal. The lyrics are witty and Carla plays around with the intonation and timing effectively, particularly when she asks " Go easy on me Casanova" and stretches out the vowels on 'easy' with a vulnerable, husky falsetto that sounds just on the edge of breaking. Then, out of nowhere, at around one and a half minutes the sweetest harmonica solo drops in before exiting far too prematurely! Track six 'This Dress' enters with meaty electric guitar and heads straight into country bar room territory, with some great playing and attitude from the drum and bass rhythm section. The vocal is also suitably harder but although this is a more obviously mainstream, radio friendly sound, it has a great example of how Carly's lyrics go from quirky and idiosyncratic to poetry in a couple of lines. "But what is home anyway if you don't have a kitchen. The sky opened up as the prairies do, blown open bits of me and you" Beautiful, but for maximum appreciation listen to the song itself. Lastly in this middle section is track seven, 'Down This Road' which is another band setting number with some great lap steel under heavily reverbed electric guitar, but it almost comes over as a spiritual song in nature with it's fear of dying alone lyric and chanted refrain after the chorus.

In theme, content and performance, this four-track section covers ageless Americana, bluegrass, roots, acoustic balladry and modern, electric country with a twist. Many reference points though, so perhaps Soul-Folk is a more succinct catch all!

If you are going to use a first album release to set out the breadth of your musical stall, then in my view this passage of songs equals mission accomplished.

My only reservation is that the album ends on a slightly downbeat note with the final three tracks and possibly an additional up-tempo song popped in there may have lifted things a little. However, this is a minor quibble, particularly as each of these songs still stands tall on their own merit.

So, a great recording, uniformly brilliant playing, striking vocals and smart songs, overall a very fine debut album. But, if you are still unsure about parting with your money, pop over to the website and have a listen to the official video for 'Soil To Dust' and that should do the trick!

Paul Jackson