The Wildy's World Top Ten EPs of 2009: #9

The Wildy's World Top Ten EPs of 2009


One step closer to #1...




9 Audra Mae - Haunt



When you count Judy Garland and Liza Minelli amongst your family tree there are bound to be big expectations. Audra Mae lives up to them all on her debut EP, Haunt. Using her unforgettable voice and a sophisticated folksy style, Audra Mae weaves the sort of magic that will leave you yearning for more.

Review: Audra Mae - Haunt EP

Audra Mae - Haunt EP
2009, Sideonedummy Records

I guess if Judy Garland and Liza Minelli are in your family tree you might at least consider a career in show business. Such filial connections might get you a toe-hold in music world, but you don't go anywhere without real talent. Oklahoma native Audra Mae is one of those artists who would make it if her most famous relative was the OSU water boy. With a voice that's reminiscent of folks like Garland, Kay Starr and Mae West but with a bit of country twang thrown in, Audra Mae turns heads when she starts to sing. Audra Mae came to national attention when her cover of Bob Dylan's Forever Young was featured on FX' Sons Of Anarchy last year. She will return to the show's soundtrack this season with a cover of Patti Griffin's Mary. On October 20, 2009, Audra Mae released a digital-EP entitled Haunt, in anticipation of her full length debut due in early 2010.

Haunt opens with The River, a stark tale full of beauty. Audra Mae's voice is absolutely enchanting; time seemingly stands still the first time you hear her. The Fable has a darkly gorgeous melody lawn drawn across an arrangement that sounds like it came from a European cabaret. Audra Mae displays a lyrical depth and poetic feel for songwriting that seems well beyond her years. Eli, The Barrow Boy is a song about loss, grief and the choices it sometimes makes for us. Audra Mae writes here in the style of a bard, creating a character who lives and breathes in a cautionary tale, enlivened by her lush voice. One Silver Dollar follows the paths of life as traversed by a single coin. In truth, it's the weakest track on the EP and still a song that most songwriters would be more than proud of. Audra Mae closes out with Sullivan's Letter, in which a Civil War soldier writes home before the Battle of Bull Run. Sullivan forecasts his death, yet goes on to tell his beloved that love survives even death. The song is a tragic romance movie squeezed into a four minute bit of musical genius. The arrangement her is amazingly lush and warm, and joins with her voice in a bit of celestial harmony.

Haunt will. The songs here aren't catchy pop tunes, but good luck getting them out of your head. Audra Mae writes intelligent, deep songs that live and breathe with the characters and moments she captures within. Add to this a voice that's absolutely unforgettable and arrangements that fit each song like skin, and you have a very special listening experience on your hands. Haunt is the sort of introduction that drives curious listeners into obsessive fan hood. If this is any indication, the forthcoming debut album should be amazing.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Audra Mae at www.myspace.com/audramae. Haunt is available through iTunes. Hard copies can be found if you catch her on tour.

Review: Bunmi Adeoye - Paper Dolls, Glass Houses

Bunmi Adeoye - Paper Dolls, Glass Houses
2008, Bunmi Adeoye

Bunmi Adeoye (Boo-mee A-Day-Oh-Yeh) is a hopeless romantic, and one who has been scorned judging by the songs on her debut CD, Paper Dolls, Glass Houses. With the melodic sense of Carole King, the gritty truth-to-tell nature of Tracy Chapman and the vitriol of Ani DiFranco, Adeoye spins a web of tales that will hit home with anyone who's even been on the bad side of a breakup. The Toronto-based Adeoye lists influences as disparate as KT Tunstall, Damien Rice, Barbara Streisand, Judy Garland, WHAM!, Sade, and Harlequin romance novels.

The first thing you’ll notice about Adeoye is that she has a magnificently unaffected voice. I don’t know what sort of vocal training she’s had, but Adeoye sounds like a natural singer. There’s an earthy quality to her singing that sets the listener immediately at ease, and her tone is gorgeous without ever sounding garish. She is the sort of singer you could literally listen to all day long. Adeoye kicks of Paper Dolls, Glass Houses with Stop Lying, an emotionally, lyrically and melodically intense song representing one half of an argument in a relationship that’s going nowhere. The emotional edge here is palpable, and Adeoye’s voice makes it all the more believable. The song has a theatrical quality to it, almost as if you could build a show around it, but retains the Folk/Pop sense it was written in. Unbreakable Heart is a dance song that sounds like it might have come chronologically before Stop Lying, the urgent refrain of someone who will do anything to make a bad relationship work. Long Time Coming is an empowering song about throwing the bum out and works as a perfect prologue to the first two tracks.

Player Hate turns the tables on the players, in one of the hottest songs to emerge from the cauldron of 2008. Player Hate is blunt enough to make Ani DiFranco blush, and is the sort of song that could really break out on Pop/Urban radio. Tell Me is a Reggae-flavored pop song with a melody that just won’t stay out of your noggin. The harmonies here are downright gorgeous in their own right; this is another potential pop hit. Adeoye takes on the Barenaked Ladies’ What A Good Boy next, in an amazing cover of one of the band’s best non-singles. The song itself is about expectations and pre-conceived notions we grow up with around gender and the limitations they can place on us as we grow. It’s not an issue so much of overt sexism but the ideas so ingrained in our consciousness that we never think about them. Adeoye makes the most of a great song. Sad But True is a dark and beautiful song of detached mourning about a relationship the narrator could never win at. Adeoye’s vocal line here is striking and the harmonies are angelic. Adeoye closes out the album with a cover of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. It’s a beautiful rendition, much slower and more contemplative than the original. Adeoye takes one last to shine on the vocals; a real pleasure to hear.

When I first listened to this album I was somewhat blown away; each successive listen has made that sense of “Whoa!” grow a bit. Bunmi Adeoye is a distinctive talent. She joins a cadre of strong, intelligent female singer songwriters (Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, Tina Turner, Tracy Chapman, etc.) willing to, in turns, be tough, speak their mind, be vulnerable… just be themselves. Paper Dolls, Glass Houses is the sort of disc that grabs you on the first listen and tightens its grip a little on each successive play. Adeoye is a gem who should not stay hidden; she’s ready for the grand stage. Paper Dolls, Glass Houses is a distinctive find, a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc, and an absolute must for your music collection. Make sure you check it out today!

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Bumni Adeoye at http://www.bunmisings.com/, www.myspace.com/bunmisings or www.twitter.com/bunmisings. You can purchase a copy of Paper Dolls, Glass Houses at CDBaby.com.

Review: Sarah Tracey - Cards On The Table E.P.

Sarah Tracey – Cards On The Table E.P.
2009, Sarah Tracey

Sarah Tracey brings torch music into the twenty-first century with the subtlety of an axe slicing through butter. Encompassing the earthy tones of Billie Holiday and Kay Starr, the stratospheric reach of Judy Garland, and the va-va-voom appeal of Anne Margaret, Tracey steps right out of another era with a bang. Born and raised on Chicago’s North Shore, the classically trained pianist quickly found that city’s love for jazz and blues. While her songwriting style is definitely influenced by her classical background, Tracey writes the soundtrack to a modern day, black and white film noir on Cards On The Table (EP). Hold on to your hats.

Cards On The Table appears to have been recorded live without an audience. The ambience of the recording would suggest that the attempt was made to capture an unshaped, live performance it its pure raw energy. If so, this approach has worked magnificently. Sarah Tracey opens with This Plum, a sultry torch song about the draw of forbidden fruit; alternating between pure desire and a sort of emotional sadism. Up next is Cards On The Table, an open heart appeal using poker as a metaphor. The arrangement has a bit of French Cabaret Jazz in its heritage, like something you might hear in an old black and white private detective flick. Heart On My Sleeve is a primo performance from Sarah Tracey, who just seems to get better and better as the EP progresses.

For I Want To, Tracey steps back a bit to deliver an electric performance based in the heartbreak of unrequited love. This is far and away the best track on the CD, and Tracey sells the song with all of her heart and soul. How Does It Feel is a wonderfully dark song of base devotion and wanton thoughts. Sarah Tracey sings this song like she’s lived it, assuming the role of the protagonist like slipping on a glove. As a sort of musical/spiritual redemption, Sarah Tracey comes up from the depths of jazz era depravation for Why Should I Be Blue? The promise of love rises and falls with the ebb and flow of Sarah Tracey’s voice while the listener dangles on the edge of his/her seat.

Sarah Tracey is a classic performer. Her voice is distinctive and warm and smoky with just a bit of an edge to it. She own her genre like only the best can. The material here is perfect for her voice and musical aspect, and Sarah Tracey makes the most of the six songs presented on Cards On The Table. It’s a definite must-hear for vocal jazz enthusiasts or anyone who loves a great vocal performance.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Sarah Tracey at http://www.sarahtracey.com/ or www.myspace.com/sarahtracey. No word on availability Cards On The Table, although you can stream the songs on Tracey’s MySpace page.