from where I stand
Maria Dunn
Independent
1998
12 tracks
Some people are naturals. Without thinking about it and without a whole lot of work, they just do something very well. In my experience, artists who know they have a natural talent and do little to build upon it tend to fall by the wayside. Other artists who may start with less innate talent but work very hard at their art and craft tend, like polished diamonds, to shine. The artists with natural talent who also do the work shine brightest of all.
I don't know if Maria Dunn is a natural. If not, then she has certainly done the work necessary to appear to be one. Every aspect of Dunn's from where I stand is powerful and impressive. This is a release that stands up both musically and academically. This is a combination not always easy to find in contemporary folk music, where artists tend either to disregard tradition or else to lean on it far too heavily.
The most important facet of folk songs, more than in most other art forms, is that there be a story, told with both concision and power. This is Dunn's forte. Maria Dunn is perhaps the finest lyricist and strongest storyteller of any artist I have reviewed here to date.
Part of why I think this is that her lyrics are tightly written and evocative, worthy of being called poetry in the literary sense, yet they maintain a conversational, colloquial feel.
The other part has to do with Dunn's feel for the tradition. She picks up the old forms, the standard phrases, the familar refrains and incorporates them seamlessly into her new lyrics, giving her words a comfortable timelessness. This is a great talent, for a poet to be able to write material that is at once both timely and timeless.
Like her words, Dunn's melodies pick up the old forms and make them new. The sound of this release is very traditional, bringing to mind the old Scots/Irish songs. In fact, although she is singing in English, on occasion Dunn sounds as though she is singing in Gaelic and one has to stop and listen again to be sure she is not.
While traditional sounding, these songs have background aspects that echo popular folk music of the past few decades. As examples, there are intimations of the folk styles of Andy Stewart ("Distant Whisper") and The Indigo Girls ("Sadly Real"), and others. There's even a bit of piano on the one country song on this release ("The Bus Song") that would feel right at home in rock and roll.
Not all songwriters are necessarily great performers. Maria Dunn has managed to gather a group of instrumentalists whose style is ideally suited to her own. Her singing too, is well suited to the songs she writes, so that the elements -- words, music, players, and voice -- come together as a wonderful whole.
There's not a bad song on this release, but taken as a whole perhaps the finest and most beautiful performance is "The Fool." The harmonies on the first two verses, which are sung a capella, are so spot on that casual listener could mistake them for an echo effect. Given a closer listen, these harmonies are tight and beautiful, perfectly complementing Dunn's voice and lyrics.
Here are the first two verses of this song as just one example of Dunn's very fine writing.
There's a river in the gutter, rain water rushing past
like the river in my heart that's flowing so fast
Well I've never been one to be easily led
But I'm letting this river take me over the edge
And if you listen to the old songs, the message is clear
to have and to hold forever my dear
But my grasp is slipping and the water's so wide
Let the Mighty roll on while I swim to the side.
Maria Dunn is an artist to watch. She may not be a household name now, but there's a very good possibility she will be.
To learn more about Maria Dunn, take a look at her website.|
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