That is soul as in giving it all and having a true feel for a certain music genre. It his case the folkier version of Americana. When trying to describe Carrie Elkin, the renowned BBC DJ and music critic Bob Harris dropped such names as Patty Griffin, Iris DeMent and Nanci Griffith. After “The Penny Collector”, her new album, you can add Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch to that list.
You see, Elkin, to use that now almost profane phrase, “gives it all she got” on practically every recorded second. Of course, that would not be good enough if either the songs or their lyrics were up to a scratch. And this, her fifth album in 13 years, even betters her acclaimed 2011 album “Call It My Garden”.
It has obviously been a long journey from an organic chemist to a folk singer. But with a voice that can at the same time have a free reign between Williams and Welch, Elkin confirms that she made a right choice.
Renowned veteran producer Neilson Hubbard was able to keep Elgin’s voice at the forefront, without losing the arranging vision to include everything, from acoustic guitars to subtle electronic effects to give the music a diversified palette it needs.
Elkin. has her way with words too. Don’t go any further than just the line from “Live Wire”: ‘A life half-empty is a life half-spilled’. It simply makes you perk your ears up further.
The moment the opener “New Mexico” starts, you know you are in for a treat, and Elkin doesn’t let up, “And The Lamps Came” “Crying Out” or “Niagara”, just keep making this album sound better and better. The two closing tunes are magnificent - “Lamp of the Body” and Elkin's killer version of Paul Simon’s “American Tune” that precedes, really deliver a punch this album deserves.
Hopefully, Elkin will not just simply remain a name that critics keep writing down in their notebooks (or in their smartphones, tablets, whatever), but somebody who Americana and folk fans will remember too.
