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Chinatown [The Be Good Tanyas] [067003031127]

The Be Good Tanyas
1 disc

Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 30311
Credits

Producer
Engineer
The Be Good Tanyas: Samantha Parton (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin);
Frazey Ford (vocals, guitar); Trish Klein (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Doug Thordarson (violin, viola); Jolie Holland (fiddle, background vocals); Martin Green (accordion); Olu Dara (cornet); Roey Shemesh (bowed, double & fretless bass); Andrew Burdon (double bass); Glenn "Ike" Eidness, Paul Clifford (drums); Aaron Chapman (saw); Diane Williams (background vocals).
Recorded at Lemonloaf, Bakerstreet Studios, and The Smilin' Budda Enjoyment Complex, Vancouver, Canada.
The homespun, slightly quirky approach that guided the Be Good Tanyas on Blue Horse permeates their enigmatically titled sophomore release too. If anything, these performances beckon the listener even more into the material, as a fiery hearth might draw strangers together on a cold night. The singing is raggedy and breathy, the instruments gently strummed or stroked; like whispered intimacies, these elements cast a conversational spell. When something extra is added, it comes in minimal doses -- a sprinkle of barely audible electric guitar and unobtrusive strings enhance, rather than delete, the acoustic ambience on "Dogsong 2," while two cameos by Olu Dara stir memories of Joni Mitchell's early tapestries of folk and jazz. No single tracks stand out, but that may be intentional; by sustaining its blurry, wistful mood with neither gimmick nor interruption, Chinatown feels like an evening well spent with old friends. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk
Critic Reviews

Uncut (3/03, p.97) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Unflinchingly devoted to a template of rural American folk and country..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.96) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Rich in quiet stunners. Frazey Ford's gently insistent songs have a rare power to touch....The Tanyas can sure tell a good story..."