Over The Hills - Lucy Kaplansky Album Review

Lucy Kaplansky

Album Review

There aren't many country singers I'd go out to see live: Lucy Kaplansky is one. Beautifully voiced Lucy from New York has a real belter on the hands with Over The Hills, her first in three years, and a return to her formative musical love - folk and classic country. She ought to be a superstar in chosen genre. One day she may well be. This country fuelled album has 12 string guitars, accordion, harmonium and pedal steel in addition to Kaplansky's supple dulcet tones. Somehow it's been described as alt-country, which is totally misleading. This is much rootsier stuff. Dripping in class, her effortless singing is reminiscent of Blues' singer Lisa Mills. It's such a natural thing it doesn't need instruments to enhance it. They're there, so it sounds even better. It's not a particularly grand effort either, mainly because of the smooth and relaxed comfort zone that prevails. Much of the content is personal. Songs are about her late father, grandpapa, and toddler Molly she adopted from China. Each song strolls along nicely with that wonderful voice being the main focus.

Manhattan Moon bounces along, boosted by Duke Levine's mandola and Larry Campbell's sublime pedal steel. Upping the pace a tad, Amelia has some great ringing guitar solos a la Bonnie Raitt, and there's that great western twang to spice things up. Larry Campbell's pedal steel totally re-defines Roxy Music's More Than This. Ring Of Fire swaggers along unashamedly without even breaking sweat. It's more a joyous western romp for Swimming Song, as the tight band does a Springsteen 'Seger Sessions' workout. It couldn't get much simpler for Over The Hills: accordion, acoustic guitar and bass, with Eliza Gilkyson providing sweet backups for Lucy, which is a tribute to her father and Red House Record president Bob Feldman. Finally, The Gift, a lovely story of her grand papa's endeavors to clear debt by winning a singing contest, closes an engaging and intimate record.

Elly Roberts