CD Review: Humming by the Flowered Vine
Hanson Ho
Humming by the Flowered Vine
Matador Records
When famed BBC DJ John Peel calls your debut record his "favourite album of the last ten years and possibly [his] life," you have a hell of a lot to live up to. Peel didn't get a chance to hear Humming by the Flowered Vine before his untimely death, but he would no doubt approve of Laura Cantrell's third full-length, her first on Matador.
Cantrell goes down a similar path as in previous releases, lending a modern voice to the type of traditional country music long forgotten by Music Row. More Allison Krauss than Faith Hill, Cantrell's crystal-clear voice serves as the centrepiece for an album of half covers, half originals. JD Foster's minimal production allows her vocals to take the spotlight, the sparse but textured arrangements providing tasteful accents throughout the record.
Like Mary Lou Lord, Cantrell has a knack for unearthing and reinterpreting obscure gems by other artists. That ability is seen in her cover of "Letters," a previously unreleased Lucinda Williams tune. Her own songwriting is showcased in "Bees," its opening bars reminiscent of Patty Griffin's "Mother of God." Written as a tribute to a dying friend, the song makes explicit the underlying sadness and the sense of loss that permeates the rest of the album. Cantrell's delivery is direct and unaffected, the understatedness making it that much more poignant. John Peel would've loved it.