Reviews
Review - Fish Records (UK) (Feb, 2009)
Of all the discs that have come through the Fish Records doors, there is only a handful that have really left a lasting impression on the first listen; I can recall the first time I heard Dar Williams' 'Honesty Room' and Anais Mitchell's 'Hymns for the Exiled', and I'm sure that the memory of the initial play of 'Big Dream Boulevard' will be added to that list.
German born, but American based from the age of 13, this is Antje's debut studio album, and it's easily one of the most assured, and melody & lyric rich collection of songs you could wish to hear.
There's a subtle air across the eleven songs; her voice is beautifully restrained, the words are concise but full of details, and she addresses the issues in her songs in fresh way, and both personal and social subjects are handled with great style. She mixes humour, sadness, warmth with a good dose of harsh reality in her songs to create some honest, eloquent and powerful lyrics.
Produced by Seamus Egan of Solas (the band covered a track on their last album), the overall sound suits the songs perfectly, the staple of Antje's voice and acoustic guitar is present throughout but there's some excellent percussion, strings, bass as well as some well placed backing vocals (including Ellis Paul) scattered across the songs.
Highlights are everywhere, but of particular note are 'Anna', a brilliant, honest piece of writing that's both sad and joyful at the same time; 'Dandelion' is a superb singer/songwriter piece with a great lyrics and strong hook; and 'Judas' is a stunning song, a delicate subject handled well and superbly performed.
Antje is obviously one of the brightest stars on the American folk scene, and to speak of her in the company of Patty Griffin and Dar Williams is entirely justified – a superb album in every respect and very highly recommended.
German born, but American based from the age of 13, this is Antje's debut studio album, and it's easily one of the most assured, and melody & lyric rich collection of songs you could wish to hear.
There's a subtle air across the eleven songs; her voice is beautifully restrained, the words are concise but full of details, and she addresses the issues in her songs in fresh way, and both personal and social subjects are handled with great style. She mixes humour, sadness, warmth with a good dose of harsh reality in her songs to create some honest, eloquent and powerful lyrics.
Produced by Seamus Egan of Solas (the band covered a track on their last album), the overall sound suits the songs perfectly, the staple of Antje's voice and acoustic guitar is present throughout but there's some excellent percussion, strings, bass as well as some well placed backing vocals (including Ellis Paul) scattered across the songs.
Highlights are everywhere, but of particular note are 'Anna', a brilliant, honest piece of writing that's both sad and joyful at the same time; 'Dandelion' is a superb singer/songwriter piece with a great lyrics and strong hook; and 'Judas' is a stunning song, a delicate subject handled well and superbly performed.
Antje is obviously one of the brightest stars on the American folk scene, and to speak of her in the company of Patty Griffin and Dar Williams is entirely justified – a superb album in every respect and very highly recommended.