Canticle To Love. While I consider myself a lover of all things music, I will admit I have never been much of a pop music fan. Ive always said that pop is like the McDonalds for your ears; lots of people like it, but its not all that good for you in the long run. Then there are song writers like Brooke Waggoner who give me hope than pop can be so much more than style over substance.
After a successful run manning the piano for Jack White, Waggoner has returned in Originator ; perhaps her finest and most well-rounded work to date.
If you are familiar with Brooke Waggoner, then you will know her style is somewhat hard to pin down. She is a classically trained pianist, has a degree in music composition and orchestration, and tends to craft all of her music using live instruments in lue of loops and electronic elements. Her songs are obviously piano driven, play heavy of atmosphere and have a whimsical air to them. This should also be obvious, but it is important to note that when you listening to Waggoner, know that every note of every instrument was written or arranged by her.
She isnt the kind of artist to write the melody and piano then hand the rest of the music off to someone else; she takes time to make sure the strings, drums, and any other instrument present has her personal touch. Originator has all of these things we have come to expect, but this time it just feels bigger and more focused. I actually saw White on the tour Waggoner was part of, but the Charlottesville show I went to featured only the all-male backing band, if memory serves, so I missed out on seeing the lineup that had Waggoner on keys and Originator contributor Bryn Davies on bass.
Paying close attention to album credits is an excellent way to move artists from the periphery of your listening to the center, and it would have been so fun to follow the release of Originator in real time. Always impressive when quiet elements speak so loudly. Amazing vocal control by Waggoner, and hats off to Originator producer, recording engineer, and mixing engineer Chad Howat. There are a couple things that stand out as great to me with this record.
The album, at times, sounds kind of folk-ish, but then others it sounds like an ambient massage of the senses. To purposefully bring the listening audience to a musical climax as if it were a motion picture. Originator is a highly enjoyable project, taking us through a litany of emotions while not losing focus. I expected to hear something pretty and floridly arranged: And it was so. Many songs feature multiple keyboards, rococo melodies, and even among moments of darkness there is always beauty.
I expected to hear something quirky, maybe along the lines of folky prog-rock: And it was so. I expected to hear deeply personal songs driven by a singular vision: And it was so. For more of a collaborative sounding take on these songs, I recommend a listen to her other album, Sing To Me: Live In Boston , which has many of the songs from Originator. I also admit that the cover gave me vibes of self-importance, that title for one thing originator of what, exactly?
Unfortunately, that is also slightly so. She obviously has talent and artistic ambition to burn, so the final surprise, that she has mostly retreated from the music business, raising her children and teaching music at a small university, is somewhat disappointing. After all, she has no real obligation to anyone else but herself and her family.
Give Originator a try and see if you agree. You can hear bits and pieces of all of these influences throughout this album which creates a very one of a kind sound.
Originator by Brooke Waggoner. Ian Ihde. Favorite track: Ink Slinger. Accidentally-on-purpose listened to them on repeat for about a month. Benjamin Hancock. Peter Underhill. James West. Paige Ruten. Sam Dudley. Kevin Wade. Karl Sanden. Jason Finn. Geremias Neto. Bruce Brown. Scott Hanson. Andrew Orcutt. Emily Echevarria. Gary Ware.
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