Today’s ladies of the canyon…
The folk-jazz band The Witherbees is still co-lead by guitarist Mike Lorenz and violaist-vocalist Jacqui Armbruster along with Justin Sekelewski/b and Kyle Andrews. This most recent release has them mixing some fun and small group swing with casual indie-styled vocals. Of the former, a relaxed blues on “Mirage” a dreamy viola led “To Be Free (interlude) ” and cozy “Goody Bag” have a Reinhardt-Grappelli feel. Armbruster’s voice gives a Norah Jones nuance on a haunting “Linger” , an intimate “To Be Free” and goes rural with Tom Spiker’s pedal steel guitar for a Nashville skylined “Mo(u)rning”. A relaxed evening at McCabes.
Dar Williams sings and plays acoustic guitar as she mixes and matches with Denny McDermott-Doug Yowell/dr, Gail Ann Dorsey-Paul Socolow/g, Steuwart Smith-Stewart Lerman/g and various guests on this Cumberland Gap collection of originals. She’s folksy as a wayfaring stranger on “Time, Be My Friend” and the 70s folksy “Magical Thinking” while giving a Dylanesque personal feel to “I Never Knew” and the sing songy “Today And Every Day”. Some keyboards give a Nashville/bohemian feel to “Let The Wind Blow” and some horns take you to Memphis on the chimey “ You Give It All Away”. Minstrel at the dawn.
Ana Egge sings, plays guitar and composes folksy tunes with a team of Carey Fonville/dr, Michael isvara Montgomery/b, Lorenzo Wolff/g-keys, Jon Cowherd/org and various guests on horns and background vocals. Her voice has a rural wisp, laid back on “Wait A Minute” and agonizingly artsty on “Your Hurt Me”. Some soulful keyboards and synthy percussion create sonic pulses and atmospheres on “Heartbroken Kind” and “Be Your Drug”, augmented by Alphonso Horne’s trumpet. There’s a 60s easy beat on “Want Your Attention” with the spartan and harrowing “We Lay Roses” making you hope for more of this next time around.