Reid Jamieson is the typical busy musician, working hard on a wide variety of projects that range from Leonard Cohen, to Elvis Presley, to rap, all the way to string band music and gentle folk. However, in 2014 he ticked off yet another first: recording an album with his wife Carolyn Mill, who has been performing alongside him for many years but never officially collaborated on a record. ‘Juniper’s Kitchen’, the result of this studio collaboration, is a wonderful 12-track offering that showcases the duo’s excellent harmonies and a fondness for minimalist country, Americana and folk music. Reserved and well-crafted, even the up-tempo tracks have a quiet, relaxing charm about them.
The set opens with the gorgeous ‘Drive’, an invitation to go driving with a lover that benefits from a rather lovely melody and heartfelt delivery. ‘Rail’ follows, setting a train-like pace adorned with virtuosic fiddle, but even at its peak moments the production remains sparse and subdued, retaining the record’s sense of calm. Pedal steel laces many of the tracks while subtle drums on the likes of ‘Not Making History’ keep listeners’ attention, and the pair owe instrumental duties to Keith Rose (bass), Jon Arason (drums), Anne Lindsay (violin), John Sheard (piano, organ), Michael Holland (piano), Paul Rigby (pedal steel), Lewis Melville (dobro), while multi-talented Reid takes on many of the guitar, organ and percussion, and Sam Parton contributes background vocals on ‘Take Me To The Sea’. Carolyn, who is more of a behind-the-scenes person in Reid’s career, really comes into her own on this record with her co-writing credits on every song and delightfully rootsy, pretty vocals and harmonies.
It’s the duo’s dynamic that really makes this record a special one. In addition to writing all the tracks together, their vocal interplay is the constant focus and they often hardly need any of the other instrumentation (although it certainly adds some nice textures and points of interest). They sing love songs to each other, most notably ‘The Way You Look At Me’, ‘This Much I Know’, ‘Fall’ and ‘Words With You’, reflecting on marriage and commitment through the years. They also reveal some learned truths on the nature of life, seen in the likes of the soulful ‘Timing Is Everything’ that teaches patience and trust in fate, and the aforementioned ‘Take Me To The Sea’ that expresses a wish to return to the sea when life comes to a close. They also include a tribute to the troops on the curiously chipper, island-esque sounds of ‘Impossible Shoes’, which admittedly loses its meaning a bit when a grim lyric is given a cheerful accompaniment.
For the most part, ‘Juniper’s Kitchen’ is a feel-good record full of positive and simple narratives, set to a backdrop of gentle country, folk and roots melodies and arrangements. Their performances are pure and perfectly blended, and Carolyn in particular shines just as brightly as her established musician husband. While it is expected that she will return to behind the scenes from now on, it is a shame, and perhaps she would consider stepping out of her comfort zone once again in the future.
Reid Jamieson is gearing up to release a covers record of 50s greats, most notably Elvis Presley, later this month. Be sure to check both out! http://www.reidjamieson.com/ Canadians Reid and Carolyn will return to the UK for a string of dates in the Spring.
Originally posted here.
