What I've always loved about Amy Correia's music is the brilliant way that she can tell a realistic, heart-rending story through intelligent, poetic lyrics and the intoxicating combination of experience and emotion her throaty voice can pour into a single note. Amy was one of the first and probably my favourite of Mountain Stage discoveries. I attended both of her performances at the venue, and each time she captivated the audience with her distinctive voice. The host of the show accurately compared her voice to both Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday. Yet the strength of Correia's music lies not only in the sound of her unique voice, but also in the way she uses that voice to capture and display the images created in the songs she writes so beautifully.
Named for Amy Correia's Massachusetts hometown, Lakeville was recorded live in the ballroom studio of The Paramour in Los Angeles during the summer of 2003. Amy supplied vocals, guitar, piano, and baritone ukulele, while various friends (including singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice) contributed vocals, guitar, drums, cello, and bass. Unlike her Capitol Records debut, Carnival Love, Amy had no label or monetary resources to aide the recording of this second album. She just happened to bump into producer Mark Howard at a diner in Silver Lake and he invited her to record at The Paramour.
The descriptive prose of the lovely opening track, "59th Street", plays out a brief and emotionally charged street scene when the unrequited love between two good friends is revealed.
The lighthearted lyrics of "California" are coloured with a wistfulness by the jazzy piano and ardent texture of Amy's torchy vocals. "Coney Island, USA" picks the tempo up, and the tambourine laced "Stranded" has a mellow, retro folk-pop sound.
The bluesy "The Devil And I" tells of a supernatural encounter, while the twangy "Dollar lake" and the sultry "On Second Thought" share the bittersweet confusion the heart and memory endure after good love ends badly.
"Hold On" sings of a drug addicted jailbird and her brokenhearted daughter. "Beautiful/Ugly" sways on haunting strings and smokey vocals. And the rich depth of Amy's voice is especially noteworthy on the blues ballad "Love Is".
The music alternates between sparse strings and resounding brass on the pretty title track that closes the album. "Lakeville" poetically describes how appealing a small, boring hometown can become in the longing hindsight of weary adulthood.
I can not recommend either of her albums enough, and I encourage everyone to buy both CDs and see Amy in concert if the opportunity ever arises. There aren't many contemporary artists that I think will be treasured in decades to come in the same way that Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan have been, but I feel certain that Amy Correia will one day be considered such a classic example of true talent.
Amy Correia's Official Site
Buy the album
Named for Amy Correia's Massachusetts hometown, Lakeville was recorded live in the ballroom studio of The Paramour in Los Angeles during the summer of 2003. Amy supplied vocals, guitar, piano, and baritone ukulele, while various friends (including singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice) contributed vocals, guitar, drums, cello, and bass. Unlike her Capitol Records debut, Carnival Love, Amy had no label or monetary resources to aide the recording of this second album. She just happened to bump into producer Mark Howard at a diner in Silver Lake and he invited her to record at The Paramour.
The descriptive prose of the lovely opening track, "59th Street", plays out a brief and emotionally charged street scene when the unrequited love between two good friends is revealed.
The lighthearted lyrics of "California" are coloured with a wistfulness by the jazzy piano and ardent texture of Amy's torchy vocals. "Coney Island, USA" picks the tempo up, and the tambourine laced "Stranded" has a mellow, retro folk-pop sound.
The bluesy "The Devil And I" tells of a supernatural encounter, while the twangy "Dollar lake" and the sultry "On Second Thought" share the bittersweet confusion the heart and memory endure after good love ends badly.
"Hold On" sings of a drug addicted jailbird and her brokenhearted daughter. "Beautiful/Ugly" sways on haunting strings and smokey vocals. And the rich depth of Amy's voice is especially noteworthy on the blues ballad "Love Is".
The music alternates between sparse strings and resounding brass on the pretty title track that closes the album. "Lakeville" poetically describes how appealing a small, boring hometown can become in the longing hindsight of weary adulthood.
I can not recommend either of her albums enough, and I encourage everyone to buy both CDs and see Amy in concert if the opportunity ever arises. There aren't many contemporary artists that I think will be treasured in decades to come in the same way that Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan have been, but I feel certain that Amy Correia will one day be considered such a classic example of true talent.
Amy Correia's Official Site
Buy the album
2 comments:
If I had to take one singer with me to a desert island, it would be Amy. I have seen her a few times. She is awesome live and quite a nice person to boot. Thanks for spreading the Amy gospel.
Amy is indeed amazing.
Post a Comment