Allison Moorer - Mockingbird
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Free Music Notes for Mockingbird
Free Music Review: A Country Surprise
Hit: 4 Stars
Alison Moorer's new CD is a pleasant surprise. She sounds nothing like most of the over-produced country pop that dominates the radio. This is bluesy, roots-driven country that sounds timeless and real.
Moorer's voice is hypnotic throughout these 12 tracks. All the songs on the CD are covers of other female artists, from Joni Mitchell to Gillian Welch. I absolutely despise cover songs that are nothing but remakes of the originals. No fear here. Moorer stamps each song with her own unique style and sound. Even old standards like "Ring of Fire" and "Both Sides Now" come off as new and fresh.
If you're looking for music that sounds authentic and heartfelt, you'll love Alison Moorer. Mockingbird is a consistently pleasing CD from start to finish.
Free Music Review: Good background music, but lacks charisma and mood variance
Hit: 3 Stars
I love music. Like reading, I can't imagine going a day without listening to music. That's exactly why I invested years ago in an iPod that can hold my entire music collection, and why I upgraded to a newer iPod this year as my old one was ready for retirement.
I enjoy a wide range of musical genres - country, folk, rock, pop, Disney, rap, jazz. Really, there is no limit for me regarding genre. What I like in my music collection is a song that moves me to some emotion, whether joyous or sad, and has a pleasing, catchy rhythm. Even more, I love it when that song tells a story. And, of course, I like the vocals to be engaging, with the appropriate tone and passion in the singer's voice.
When Amazon.com offered Allison Moorer's CD MOCKINGBIRD for review to its Vine members, I listened to some clips from the CD online and then decided I liked what I heard enough to give it a fair review. As we all know, however, clips that last a few seconds only give a very general idea, but cannot express the overall mood of the CD or the talent of the singer and musicians. I could tell from the clips that I didn't hate the CD. That's a good start.
When I received the CD, I ripped it to MP3 files so I could import them to my iPod and listen to them whenever and wherever I could, intending to give the album several days of play time before writing a review for it. Technology was with me, and I set my iPod to play only songs from the MOCKINGBIRD CD for a few days.
I soon found that I had trouble paying attention to the songs as they played. While they had a good sound, they just didn't grab me, serving better as background music that offers no distraction. Ms. Moorer's vocal skills are competent, but failed to be charismatic. In addition, she sang every song on this CD in the same tone, the same mood. Indeed, I began to believe that she herself was bored with this CD while recording it. Although there are some very good songs on this album (including cover songs like RING OF FIRE), the lack of variance in mood dampens their allure, making each song sound much like the next track.
Amazon.com has this CD categorized MOCKINGBIRD in the Folk genre, but as I listened I was struck more with a bluesy-country feeling. Not a bad genre, and with some addition work and guidance, I expect Ms. Moorer could one day record an album I find much more interesting than this one.
Free Music Review: Sensational
Hit: 5 Stars
Before getting this album I was not familiar with Allison Moorer. Everything about this artist is impressive.
These are cover versions of well known and not so well known songs. She brings a fresh sound and arrangement to June Carter Cash's Ring of Fire. I particularly liked the bluesy style rendition of Bowl of Sugar, a song I did not know before. Both Sides Now, the Joni Mitchell song is a favorite of mine. However, the Neil Diamond version will always be my personal favorite. I love the title song Mockingbird.
The challenge with doing a cover album is meeting the high standards, and vocal performance of the original artist. Allison manages to pull this off consistently, offering a fresh and original approach. The acid test for me is to be able to listen to every track on an album without skipping. She passes with flying colors, and I look forward to checking out more of her albums.
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Free Music Review: not much to say...
Hit: 2 Stars
I love Allison Moorer, I love her sister, Shelby Lynne. I was excited to listen to this new album. The copy I got from the Amazon Vine program was in a generic package, without any cover art. That was OK. When I tried to play the CD it would not track. Defective. Oh well. I'll hear it some time, I guess?Free Music Review: Allison Moorer's "Mockingbird" - Gets Better with Each Listen
Hit: 4 Stars
Mockingbird
This new album from Allison Moorer has continued to grow on me. The overall result is a well-delivered and interesting mix of very good songs. The more times I hear it, the better it sounds.
The first few times around a few tracks overpowered the album. Yet the last four tracks were so strong, I decided to listen to it again a few times. I put on my trusty headset to really focus in on the music. Sure enough, I heard a lot of great elements I had missed.
Ms. Moorer's musical pedigree has been well touted in her bio. When you've been nominated for a Grammy award on a major record label, people do tend to take notice. Perhaps the excessive hype hurt my expectations, especially when she's described as a "technically gifted vocalist."
I'm sure the number crunchers decided that by adding some well-known covers they could be sure her songs would get played at Gap stores and restaurants everywhere. By and large they've succeeded. Those songs will get this record played, though they are not my favorite parts of this album.
Her take on "Both Sides Now" has a tighter musical arrangement and seems more suited to her voice than the other remakes. "Ring of Fire," "I Want a Little Sugar In My Bowl," and "Daddy Goodbye Blues" have each grown on me but could have all been improved.
"Ring of Fire" as done here highlights a subtle recording choice. The vocals were clearly not leveled. You can hear her as she gyrates closer and further from the microphone. This seems to have been intentional, as recording engineers love to give songs that "live" recorded feel. The vocal overlays seem to be fighting against the instrumentals on this song. The sound engineers seem to have magnified this too for effect. You have to improve more upon the original when you're putting your name on a song. I'm still not crazy about the musical arrangement on this track, convinced it sounds too much like the Christmas classic "The Little Drummer Boy." Yet I've grown to appreciate her take on the song more.
Both "I Want a Little Sugar In My Bowl" and "Daddy Goodbye Blues" have a blues treatment that was off-putting at first but sounded better on subsequent listens. As a huge Nina Simone Anthology fan, I'm probably in a very hard-to-please group. I didn't mind the hollow recording on "Daddy Goodbye Blues" as much as some others. In the end these two tracks, though nice, seem misplaced here.
My favorite tracks are 1, 3, and 9-12. "Mockingbird," "She Knows Where She Goes," "Where is My Love" and "I'm Looking for Blue Eyes" are all beautiful smooth ballads. Each song has a nice mix of folk and country that lends to a recognizable sound. And "Orphan Train" really stands out as well. They really showcase Allison Moorer at her best here.
I liked her broad genre treatment, which reminded me of several Lyle Lovett albums I love. "Dancing Barefoot" and "Revelator" each have more of an upbeat alternative rock feel with hints of folk. Those songs showcase the best crossover appeal of this album.
No doubt "Ring of Fire" will get notice in these remake obsessed times. Yet there is so much more on this album that is interesting and compelling.
For fans of:
Trisha Yearwood Love Songs
Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Bailey Rae
Joni Mitchell Shine
Judy Collins Wildflowers
Nora Jones Come Away with Me
Lyle Lovett It's Not Big It's Large
Emmylou Harris The Very Best of Emmylou Harris: Heartaches and Highways
KT Tunstall Eye to the Telescope
Enjoy.