From Amazon.com
One can't help thinking of the paintings of
Grant Wood and the writings and photographs of
Wright Morris when listening to this austere little treasure. Georgia-born pianist-vocalist Robin Holcomb creates a windswept, chores-at-6-a.m. aura throughout this 10-song CD, conjuring up images of windmills and grim-faced farmhands with her spare, sub rosa songs. Backed by a kind of chamber-folk ensemble led by her keyboard-playing husband, Wayne Horvitz, and guitarist Bill Frisell (both veterans of New York's experimental downtown scene), Holcomb sings her piano-based tunes with a reserve that suits her lyrics. What are essentially black-and-white aural snapshots provide the basis for "Electrical Storm," "So Straight and Slow," "Troy," and the rest of these songs. They may seem blurry on first listen, but somehow Holcomb brings them all into focus.
--Steven Stolder