This next album was on my top 10 albums list from 2018 until the following November, when I bumped it. There is no shame in that – it just means it now goes to 11. Spinal Tap would be proud.
Disc 1466 is…. If Only There Was a River
Artist: Anna St. Louis
Year of Release: 2018
What’s up with the Cover? Anna standing in some lightly wooded area. It looks like she’s looking down on you. Maybe she’s thinking “If only there was a river, I could’ve weighted you down with rocks, but instead I’ll have to settle for rolling you into this dry gulch.”
Or she could just be out for a stroll in the woods.
How I Came To Know It: I read a review and checked out her video for “Understand”. I liked it and so…here we are.
How It Stacks Up: This is my only Anna St. Louis album. I think this might be her only full length LP, so at least I’m not missing out on another one. Anyway, since I only have the one, it can’t really stack up.
Ratings: 4 stars
Anna St. Louis’ “If Only There Was a River” has a free and easy mosey. It feels like an old folk record from the sixties you might find in a thrift store, or something you might hear on the wind blowing in from a neighbouring campsite. Something from an older and more innocent time, but with a hint of haunting.
Stylistically, St. Louis is solidly in the contemporary folk movement, with a heavy dose of tradition. Not in the chord progression so much, as in the mood of the record. She reminded me favourably of Emily Barker, both in terms of the timbre and delivery. It is part sugar, part spiderwebs.
St. Louis isn’t a belter, but she has a resonance in her lower register that really tickled my fancy. Sometimes she puts that rounded curl around pronunciation that has long been my bane, but she usually pulls out of it before it reads as affected.
She is also the principal guitar on the record, and her playing style matches well with her vocals. She plays simple plucking patterns or strums with a deliberate pacing, and both feel open and honest. There is lots of tone in every note, usually on songs that lets those notes vibrate and hang in space. There is even a very traditional instrumental (“Daisy”) where she shows off her skill. Simple songs like “Daisy” only work when they are played with great feeling and skill, and St. Louis is up to the challenge. She tags on a few lyrics a capella at the end, where I would’ve given the guitar all the space, but it doesn’t disrupt the peaceful and contemplative mood the song puts you in.
As for subject matter, the songs feel both personal and philosophical, but I often found my mind wandering and just letting the tone of her voice and guitar let me float away. Sometimes only guitar accompanies her, and sometimes there are low bass notes rumbling below (which even put a bit of vibration in the car at high volumes – yes I sometimes crank my folk music…).
On “Desert” this deep base gives you a sense of a vast and overwhelming backdrop (both scenic and emotional). On “Hello” she brings in violin onto a lilting waltz that will make you want to two-step around a wooden dance floor with your sweetheart.
While contemporary, you can tell St. Louis is a student of musical history. On “Desert” she pays direct homage to Johnny Cash, dropping a “nobody knows, nobody sees” line that is pulled in tune and delivery straight from “Long Black Veil”. On my previous review, Corb Lund grabbed a line from the old Marty Robbin’s tune “The Master’s Call” with “when I was but a young man, I was wild and full of fire.” It is great to see generations of musicians continuing to hearken back to the greats that came before.
St. Louis also delves into modern constructions. On “Freedom” she relies on a drum and bass backdrop to create a spooky echo, delivering some of her strongest vocals on the record, following a bright and celebratory peel of “Oh, you’re right on my heels” with a low and spooky “and the sun’s in my eyes.” Gorgeous stuff.
I had an opportunity to review this album a couple days ago, but the more I listened to it the more I enjoyed the experience, so I kept it as my playlist a little longer. I wish there were more Anna St. Louis albums out there (I have found none) and I look forward to what she does next.
Best tracks: Understand, Paradise, Daisy, Desert, Hello, Freedom
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