Every now and then the dice gods decide they
really want me to hear an artist. Of
late, that artist is Emily Barker. Three of my last twenty reviews have been
Emily Barker albums. Serves me right for ordering five albums from her all at
once. I regret nothing!
Disc 1282 is… Dear River
Year of Release: 2013
What’s up with the
Cover?
Emily Barker, who appears to have repurposed a folded-paper boat into a
necklace. Someone should warn her that while paper boats float well enough for
a time, they make damned poor flotation devices if you’re drowning.
How I Came to Know
It: This
tale is getting told a lot of late, but I discovered her through her Applewood
Road side project and worked back from there. This copy is a double CD copy,
with a second disc full of acoustic versions of the songs. Emily and the band
also took the time to sign their names on the back as well – check it out!
For all I know all these special editions have signatures, but I prefer
to think the band was touched I ordered so many albums at once through their
Bandcamp site. Either way, I appreciate the gesture.
How It Stacks Up: I have five Emily Barker albums. “Dear River” is
my second favourite.
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
“Dear River” is one of those rare records that
benefits from bonus material. I liked the record on my first listen, but it was
when I heard the acoustic bonus disc that it entered my heart for good.
Barker is good either way, and “Dear River” is
her most consistently strong record yet. The songs are powerful and relaxed,
like the titular they weave slow and powerful across the landscapes of Barker’s
narratives.
Sometimes, these journeys feel intensely
personal, such as on the title track, where Barker puts out a plea to the river
to take her away, get her to the sea and she’ll take it from there. The song captures
that feeling we’ve all had of feeling stuck and just needing a little nudge to recover
our momentum. Barker finds that nudge in the beauty and subtle power of a river.
It is fitting that the cover features a placid body of water – these songs are soft
and peaceful but emotionally powerful beneath the surface.
Barker also puts herself into other characters
to deliver social commentary. “Letters” is the story of those displaced
by war, desperately trying to stay alive in a time of terrible upheaval but
keeping their humanity through the simple act of a letter to a loved one –
bearing witness to what they’ve seen but also an act of connectivity across
time and space.
Barker’s vocals remain powerful, and as with previous
records she doesn’t show off long notes, but rather serves the cadence of the
song. She does this so selflessly that you fall into the sound of her voice and
forget to listen to what she’s saying. On one hand this is a shame, because the
lyrics are lush and compelling. However, it also means the album has the effect
of revealing itself to you slowly through multiple listens.
The immediate emotional punch is delivered on
fiddle by Anna Jenkins, who once again stands out among many great musicians.
She’s my favourite part of the Red Clay Halo (although they are all good). Fun
fact: Gillian Welch has a song called “Red Clay Halo” and I’d be willing
to bet that is the source of the band’s name. I’ll have to ask them some day
but for now it is fun to guess.
As much as I enjoyed the original record, the
bonus disc – an acoustic version of the entire album called “The Dog House
Sessions” – made me like it even more. Stripped down it was easier to follow
Barker’s narratives and it gave me an even deeper appreciation for the high and
sweet tone of her vocal performance. Second fun fact “the dog house” is what us
blue collar types call the break room where you have your lunch. It left me
with the pleasant image of Emily and the band unplugged, knocking out acoustic
versions just for fun while they grabbed a sandwich.
The final song (on both versions) is “The
Blackwood,” a beautiful pastoral that returns to the oft-visited riverine
imagery. Barker sings:
“Like silt on the riverbank
Like sunlight through the trees
I’m your falling star returning
And never will I leave.”
The images sink into you slow and subtly, not
unlike this album. I would love to let it sink in a little more, but the
Odyssey is a harsh mistress, and I have miles to go before I sleep. Besides, I
feel confident that I’ll be taking this one down from the shelf many times in the
years to come.
Best tracks: Dear River, Letters, Ghost Narrative, In the Winter
I Returned, The Blackwood
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