Published on Mar 13, 1998
It’s been interesting to see a rebirth of interest in folk music
over the last few years. The Indigo Girls resparked my interest in
the genre, Johnny Cash’s “comeback” deepened it, John Denver’s
death reaffirmed it.
Now I can add Midwestern musicians Kara Barnard and Troy Seele,
whose album
The Water’s Edge is another fine example of how alive this
genre really is and how much it continues to grow. This album has
just the right mixture of acoustic guitars and twang to appease
anyone.
In fact, the only “disappointment” I found was that Seele’s role
on this album was limited to his guitar and dobro work, a
disappointment that disappears quickly when you hear his talents on
the six strings. True, it’s hard to figure out sometimes if Barnard
or Seele is playing the leads, but Seele’s dobro work is evident,
and is very good.
Barnard’s vocals remind me a lot of Indigo Girl Amy Ray; there’s
a wonderful mixture of sophistication and savvy in her lyrical
delivery. Her lyrics are an extension of her power; observations
about life around her (“Pop Bottle Annie,” “The Whiskey And The
Pen”) often carry as much of a homily as they do a commentary. But
the softness of the music tempers any lecturing, and makes the
songs work perfectly.
But ironically, the most powerful moments on
The Water’s Edge come from the instrumental numbers, where a
little country spice thrown in. “Sweetiny” and “As Something” shows
off the guitar talents of, of… well, I’m
guessing it’s Seele on lead guitar (the dobro tends to give
this away), but the teamwork of Barnard and Seele is also quite
evident. You can almost see their fingers flying on the frets as
this one plays, and makes semi-guitarists like me very jealous.
In fact, the whole feel of
The Water’s Edge sounds like a cross between the Indigo
Girls’ folk and Toni Price’s light country – and the mixture is
brought to near perfection on this album.
The Water’s Edge is an album you might have to search for –
I doubt you’ll find it floating around Sam Goody – but it’s most
definitely worth it. I could babble on and on about this one… but
why? Let the music do the talking.