http://www.myspace.com/anaismitchell
Origine du Groupe : North America
Style : Alternative , Folk
Sortie : 2010
By Jon Lusk from http://www.bbc.co.uk
The concept album is a much-maligned thing – perhaps not unfairly, given the excesses of certain 70s prog-rockers. So the news that this Vermont-based singer-songwriter’s latest work is a folk
opera based on “the ancient Greek myth of the poet Orpheus” may provoke a few groans. Fear not! Although Hadestown isn’t without fault, it is, by and large, a success.
This is partly down to the amount of time and energy that has been lavished on it, as the beautifully designed CD sleeve suggests; so much for public arts funding. Hadestown began evolving in
2006 as a stage show, which Mitchell road-tested with a 22-member cast. She also recorded one of the songs on her 2007 album The Brightness. Originally called Hades & Persephone, and
performed solo by Mitchell, it’s here retitled How Long? and is a sung dialogue between Ani DiFranco (Persephone) and Greg Brown (Hades), with strings, piano and atmospheric percussion.
Mitchell’s sugar-coated, girlish vocals won’t appeal to all, and initially distract from her considerable talents as a lyricist (“The river Styx was a river of stones”), so the use of a
distinguished and well chosen cast to sing the various parts is a plus. And while Brown’s creaky baritone is another acquired taste, he does make a convincing Hades. The unmistakeable falsetto of
Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon (Orpheus), and Ben Knox Miller of The Low Anthem (Hermes) are definite assets, and even the usually annoying DiFranco is well cast as Persephone.
Like most operas, the plot is fairly opaque and more or less an empty vehicle for voices, so Mitchell’s mixing of contemporary and historical settings with one of the many original versions of
Orpheus isn’t a problem – there’s clearly a narrative, even if it isn’t easy to follow. It’s the fine and varied arrangements by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, and Mitchell’s memorable
melodies that hold things together.
In a Vaudevillian manner, she plunders a wide array of idioms, ranging from traditional American folk (Wedding Song seems to draw on Mockingbird) through Tom Waits mannerisms, country, gospel,
jazz, chamber music, and the Penguin-Cafe-Orchestra-goes-to-India vibe of the instrumental Lover’s Desire. It all makes sense eventually. Kind of.
Tracklist :
01. Wedding Song (3:18)
02. Epic (Part One) (2:22)
03. Way Down Hadestown (3:33)
04. Songbird (Intro) (0:24)
05. Hey, Little Songbird (3:09)
06. Gone, I'm Gone (1:09)
07. When The Chips Are Down (2:14)
08. Wait For Me (3:06)
09. Why We Build The Wall (4:18)
10. Our Lady Of The Underground (4:40)
11. Flowers (Eurydice's Song) (3:33)
12. Nothing Changes (0:52)
13. If It's True (3:03)
14. Papers (Hades Finds Out) (1:24)
15. How Long (3:35)
16. Epic (Part Two) (2:55)
17. Lover's Desire (2:05)
18. His Kiss, The Riot (4:03)
19. Doubt Comes In (5:32)
20. I Raise My Cup To Him (2:10)
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