MARTHA SCANLAN
THE RIVER AND THE LIGHT
BROTHER WAS DYING–WEST VIRGINIA RAIN–HIGHER ROCK–BUTTERMILK ROAD–LAS CRUCES–TOO LATE–ONLY A RIVER/TRUE EYED ANGEL–REVIVAL
Songstress Martha Scanlan is equally at home, musically, in the rambling, wide-open spaces of Montana or the mountains of East Tennessee. Her music reflects her inner peace and tranquility, and that is the feeling one gets as you listen to her latest album, “The River And The Light.” Joining her on this musical journey thru the rivers of your soul is longtime collaborator, guitarist, and producer Jon Neufeld. They met in 2010 in Portland, OR, during the Pickathon Festival, and clicked instantly. They have developed that rare “sixth sense” that is almost telepathic within the scope of their playing. Natch’l fact is, they recorded most of this album in just one take!
Martha, when creating the songs for this album, “wanted to record songs in the places where they were written,” thus the references to rivers, the open spaces of Montana, and the rustic surroundings of East Tennessee. Leading off the set, Jon’s guitar lines take “Brother Was Dying, blamed it on the times,” to that ethereal place where we often are “chasing dreams we never find.” Dirk Powell’s fiddle, set over Martha’s haunting vocal and Biblical references to Saul and David give “when you reach for the Higher Rock, you reach for me,” a gospel undertone, as does the set-closing story of heading down to the “Revival,” where we “follow the sounds where the creek runs down!”
Martha Scanlan is strong-yet-vulnerable in the songs of “The River And The Light,” and challenges us to re-awaken our own spirits thru this most excellent set! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues And Roots Alliance.
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