Oregon native Clara Baker grew up around music, helping her father sell fiddle and guitar instructional books, as well as helping out in all aspects of their production, including singing and playing some of the melodies included in the tutorial. Being raised in such a musical environment makes sense in the context of the authentic, rootsy feel of her debut album ‘Temporary Things’, featuring 12 original songs, all impressively backed with bluegrass and Americana instrumentation, really making the overall sound of the record raw and true.
Starting with the “happy song” ‘Big Spoon’, the fiddle is the predominant instrument, particularly in the intro, before Clara’s mellow vocals come in. With a bouncy, upbeat tempo, the song reflects on a happy relationship, with the man playing the guitar, and the woman the fiddle, whilst one of them is the big spoon and the other the little. Whilst it isn’t the most impressive song on the record, it is a good introduction to what Clara is about and demonstrates the authentic roots music that she presents throughout the album.
‘January’ and ‘Temporary Things’ are much more subdued and actually suit Clara’s clear vocals much better than the faster songs. Clara doesn’t sound like a traditional bluegrass or Americana singer, partly because of her lack of ‘twang’, but also the clean, pure vocals that would be more suited to a theatre than a roots club. Having said this, with these more Americana-based songs, this works really well, creating more of a storytelling rather than boot-stomping atmosphere, which suits her perfectly.
‘Quiet Spring’ is similarly paced to ‘January’ and ‘Temporary Things’ but sounds much more influenced by Celtic folk than bluegrass. I really love this style of music, especially to listen to live, and working through the album, it becomes clearer that it is this style that is the most effective. Especially on songs like ‘In The Dark’ and ‘Roots’, which is my favourite track on the album, being melodically and emotionally on a different level to the other tracks. With a fiddle refrain sounding quite similar to ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from Les Miserables but without the dramatic chorus, this song blends the uplifting melodies with the emotion of heartbreak like only country and Americana music can do, and this is a fantastic example of these genres at their best.
Another highlight on the record is ‘Here We Are’, one of the final tracks on the album. With an acoustic guitar and mandolin backing, the song is dominated by the vocal delivery, which is one of the best on the record, with a superb melody and some very raw and touching lyrics focusing on the fear of being alone after a breakup. Thematically this fits in well with the rest of ‘Temporary Things’, exploring new adulthood and uncertainty in love.
I think ‘Temporary Things’ is a really solid album, particularly in its strong reliance on the roots genre, both musically and lyrically. Clara has a wonderful and unique voice and isn’t afraid to tackle different styles of song, from bluegrass and Americana to Celtic folk. Sometimes this mix of styles can be jarring to fit on one record, but wonderfully Clara manages to blend them all together very well, creating a well-rounded and coherent story on a debut album, and I will be sure to watch for her next releases.
Originally posted here.
