M.U.S.E.-ic for a cause
By Jessie Rolph
The Daily Iowan
November 29, 2001
Album review
Reprinted with permission of The Daily Iowan © 1996.
Until a few weeks ago, I thought Kelly Pardekooper was a woman.
Does that tell you anything about my knowledge of local Iowa City musicians?
I had heard the names -- Greg Brown, Dave Zollo, Pardekooper -- but embarrassingly,
I never had a sound to put with them, until this CD fell into my hands.
M.U.S.E. (Musicians United to Save the Englert) is a sampler of
Iowa City's folk and roots-rock best. Drawing from country, jazzed-up
bluegrass, blues, rock, and a little pop, all the elements flow together
to present a solid album.
Released on local label Trailer Records to raise money for the Englert
Theatre, M.U.S.E. Is a good starter set for people like me to get
interested in local artists. And it also offers enough new and previously
unreleased tracks to satisfy fans.
The first three songs would be a great soundtrack for a road trip along
the back roads of rural Iowa. Big Wooden Radio, Dave Zollo, and Sam Knutson
and Shame Train provide foot-tapping backbeats and flowing harmonies that
will make you drive just a little faster while still enjoying the lyrical
scenery.
Trailer Records founder Zollo lends the catchy and spiritual "Holy
of Holies." The repetitive "hallelujah" chorus isn't annoying
but infectious, and the slide guitar adds soul.
After the uptempo beginning, the album dives into a powerful and emotional
Jennifer Danielson song about abuse. Danielson's voice, reminiscent of
Chrissie Hynde, delivers her message of hope slowly and powerfully. Joined
by local legends Bo Ramsey and Brown, she adds spoken word behind her
melodies, giving even more power to her emotional lyrics.
The dip into blues-tinged country begins with Pardekooper's "Tiny
Angel" and Grammy-nominated Brown's "Don't Be So Sure,"
both previously unreleased tracks. Both songs offer soulful vocals and
slide guitar. Pardekooper has just enough of a hint of twang in his voice
to give it feeling without becoming a country cliché, while Brown's
voice shakes and warbles in all the right places to let the soul of the
song shine through.
Shoe Money thankfully picks up the pace of the album again with the head-bobbing
country-rock tune "Misspent Youth." A tale of college days gone
by, Brain McNeil sings, "I got the degree, but they never told me
what to be."
Wait -- is that an accordion? The most diverse track of the album, without
question, belongs to Dave Moore, who adds Latin flavor to the instrument
you thought only Weird Al could pull off. A wonderful break in the middle
of the CD, the previously unreleased "La Paloma" from 1985 features
Moore on button accordion, complete with bongos and enough Latin feel
to get you dancing.
After such an upbeat song, the nursery-rhymish ballad "Sycamore Tree"
from the Mayflies of Johnson County gets a little depressing, especially
when Annie Savage's soulful violin kicks into high gear, eclipsing the
vocals.
The sadness doesn't last long when the rock chunk of the album hits. Robert
Morey utilizes Savage's talent in the pop-rock "The Things You've
Done."
One of the strongest tracks on M.U.S.E., Eric Straumanis' "Center
of the Town," is complete with organ and harmonica. With hints of
Tom Petty, Straumanis is classic rock modernized, giving some critics
reason to compare him with Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp.
With the vocal bitterness of the Cranberries' Delores O'Rierdon, Kathryn
Musilek delivers the powerful and energetic "Butterfly." Her
voice isn't harsh or shrill but emphasizes the lyrics' meaning.
M.U.S.E. delivers a good flow between songs -- whenever it gets
too slow, it soon picks up. While it lacks some local legends, such as
Ramsey fronting a track, it's still a good opportunity to get acquainted
with Iowa City music before heading out to a show, while helping a good
cause at the same time.
Email DI reporter Jessie Rolph at:
[email protected]