Grand

Personnel: Erin McKeown (vocals, various instruments); David Chalfant (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, bass, percussion); Michael Raskin
(tenor saxophone); Mark Tragesser (baritone saxophone); Brad Mason (trumpet, flugelhorn); Brian Jones (drums, percussion, tambourine, bells); George Javor (drums, shaker, tambourine).
Recorded at Longview Farm, North Brookfield, Massachusetts and Sackamusic Studio, Conway, Massachusetts between September 2002 & January 2003.
Audio Mixer: David Chalfant.
Recording information: Longview Farm Studios, North Brookfield, MA (09/2002); Sackamusic Studio, Conway, MA (09/2002); Longview Farm Studios, North Brookfield, MA (10/2002/01/2003); Sackamusic Studio, Conway, MA (10/2002/01/2003).
Photographer: Robert Sebree.
Erin McKeown should have called this disc "Don't Fence Me In." The least she could have done was to record the song, anyway. Instead, McKeown tries her hand at just about every genre you might want to hear from her. The only common Grand threads to be found here are her voice and writing. On first glance she's your standard folk-pop torch-bearer with clever lyrical and melodic turns such as "Slung-Lo" and "Born to Hum"; turn your head and she's become a soft-core new wave rocker, as on "Cinematic"; then she's a throwback USO girl with "The Taste of You" and "How to Be a Lady"; before you know it, she's morphed into a groovy jazz hipster with "Cosmopolitans" and "Lucky Day." Occasionally the vibes converge and meld within a single piece. An interesting tidbit about Grand is that of the 14 tracks, only one is over four minutes, with most coming in under three. McKeown definitely has a style all her own and it seems to be working. Grand may fall shy of the "Panoramic & Spectacular!" claim on the cover, but it's definitely a beguiling and pleasant way to spend 40 minutes or so. ~ Kelly McCartney