Customer Reviews

Another Country

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If ever there were a convention of performing artists, Tift Merritt would probably spend the evening helping to serve the food, then staying afterward to help with the clean-up. There is something unfailingly polite about her style, so much so that she is an anomaly in an industry full of misogynists, hedonists, crybabies and creeps. "Another Country" captures that niceness with a series of songs that are unfailingly gracious in their gentle use of melodicism. It is extraordinarily comforting to hear an album as well-adjusted as "Another Country," but that can also be part of the problem. In real life, it is the troublemakers who attract all of the attention, and it is no different in the music industry. Disaffected misfits with bad attitudes and re-hab issues get the press and top the charts, and it is difficult to hear Tift Merritt above the din of whining screamers in need of medication, therapy, or both.
"Another Country" is the result of an artist burned out from too much touring. In the liner notes, Tift (I think she would find it distasteful if I used her formal name) writes that she "had lost track of the miles (she) had traveled." To break her stride, she spent some time in Paris, familiarizing herself with a new culture and a new group of friends. The experience liberated her, and inspired her to new heights of creativity. This is an album full of personal observations from lessons learned, with intimate arrangements that focus on the strengths of her touring band, augmented by guitarists Doug Pettibone and Charlie Sexton. As a collection, the songs fit like a well-worn sweater. It is the aural equivalent of a woman finding a sense of comfort in the life she has chosen for herself.
Most parents know that necessity dictates them to spend most of their time and effort working with the `problem' child, while the well-adjusted sibling gets overlooked. It may take some time for you to come around to listening to Tift Merritt's new album, but when you do, it will wrap you with a sense of comfort and relief, and it will probably make you smile. B+ Tom Ryan

Apparently, I am a rareity here having loved Tift since her 1999 duets album with The Two Dollar Pistols. For those of you new to her, a (very) brief and mostly musical history. That album is a very classic country cover album with Tift's sweet soprano soaring gracefully next to John Howie's rough barritone. In 2002 she released her solo debut Bramble Rose, which went to a very 70's Gram Parson's and Emmylou Harris side of country and was produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams). Two years later she teamed with George Drakoulias to record Tambourine which went off in a much more bluesy/R&B direction. In 2005 she released the live cd Home Is Loud and 2007 saw the issuing of her Austin City Limits appearence on DVD. She was dropped by her label Lost Highway and moved to Paris, not sure if she was going to stay in the business. Then she wrote all the songs for this album, came home and released them on Fantasy.
With all that out of the way, how does this album stack up? Sonically speaking, she returns to the same overall sound as Bramble Rose, but pushes past what she did on that album. The lyrics are much more personal than they have been on her earlier albums, but she retains her sense of incident based storytelling. In a way she is almost the anthesis of Neko Case. Where the red headed torch singer wraps her life in dark images that pull the everyday into the realm of fantasy, Tift grounds her images in incidents so everyday that often the lyric passes before you realize the full weaight of truth behind it. Her voice here is sweeter than it has been on previous albums, fuller and more mature, with a control of her higher registers that sometimes came off as a bit squeaky before. While Tift does play both the piano and guitar, her voice is a true instrument of rare value, as fine, delicate and strong as a well cut diamond, as as capable of refracting a multiplicity of colors.
Oh, and for those who were wonder, she is an absolute must see live. Her voice soars to the rafters and fills the room in a show that is half glorious music and half a brilliant revivial show for the human spirit. And that is the element that she brings to each of her songs, both vocally and lyrically, a simple and elegant knowledge of the messy beauty of her own very human spirit, and by extention, each of ours.

Listening to Boston's folk radio station (WUMB) is the place where I can hear the gamut of new and old musicians. I must say I was pleasantly surprised after hearing 'Something to Me.' So surprised that I bought this new cd yesterday, the day of it's release. I definitely recommend this cd/artist to anyone who enjoys Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith or Patty Griffin. The melodies are great and the lyrics are poetic and accessible. I'm very happy to have found a new artist to follow. Now all I need to do is listen to her whole catalog.

Thanks Tift! Hope to see you live when you come to the Northeast.

"Another Country" sounded familiar, but I just couldn't place where I'd heard it before. A clear-voiced singer, sensitive lyrics, music that alternately chugged and soared. Joni Mitchell? Emmylou Harris? Damned if I could place her.

A few listenings in, Tift Merritt's lineage no longer mattered. Only the music did. I didn't immediately get the words --- they're about love and loss and distance, and because they're charming and poetic, they go down easy --- but the tunes were fatally catchy. I found myself humming along and calling out the refrains. Not like me.

My reaction to Tift Merritt was also unsettling. She's got a Grammy nomination and praise from the likes of Emmylou Harris on her bio, but she seems more like a kid just starting out than a seasoned artist. In her 30s? With her own show on NPR? For that matter, a year in Paris? No way.

I had a bunch of questions. Ms. Merritt had the answers. And then some.

JK: What were you doing five minutes before you decided to go to Paris and write the songs that became this CD?

TM: I'd been on tour for a year, traveling in a van --- five guys and me --- and sometimes playing empty clubs, where you have to pretend everything's okay and cry in private. And you get ready in a rock `n roll dressing room, with graffiti on the walls and scary corners you can't look in. And you see the irony. How could you not, when you put your makeup on looking into a mirror that says MILLER LITE.

JK: Who do you blame?

TM: It always ends with me.

JK: And the moment of decision?

TM: I was going to England to tour. I thought, `I'm a grown woman. I can go to Paris and get an apartment and a piano.'

JK: Parlez-vous français?

TM: I studied French in school. And I'd always had a connection to France; my first crush was on my third grade French teacher. I'd say I understood French as I understand music --- instinctively.

JK: No sane person could like French rock. What did you listen to in Paris?

TM: I was cut off from most music. I had some music on my computer, but no iPod.

JK: Did you have any connections to French musicians and writers?

TM: No. And that didn't change much --- I was mostly anonymous. I didn't dress up and go out. I just wrote what I experienced day-to-day, which was the first time in a long time that I'd done that. And to do that in the most beautiful city in the world! In Paris, they spend four hours on a dress the way I spend four hours on a line. The windows are open, people live in the street, you get little glimpses of their lives. And it's very comfortable to be a woman alone there --- you feel safe.

JK: What was your day like?

TM: I didn't think what I was doing. I took pictures, wrote, sang. It was all a nice surprise.

JK: You've written about a day when you filled page after page. Should I be jealous?

TM: I was tired. I'd finished a lot of writing, and I felt like I'd overshot it --- you come back to real life and find yourself crossing against the lights and staring blankly at vegetables in the market because all your perspective is used up.

JK: I'd start feeling paranoid about what's on my computer: What if...

TM: I saved everything to disks --- even though my writing was a mess --- and mailed them home.

JK: Ah, yes: home. What was it like to return to America?

TM: In Paris, I'd been happy just doing my job. I was nervous I'd lose that feeling.

JK: And?

TM: It's hard. I came home and the record company dropped me. It was really lucky that I had these songs to take care of. But the way it happened, the songs took care of me.

JK: How?

TM: I believed in them, and it's sometimes easier to believe in your work than to believe in yourself. I'd started to think: This is stupid. I don't need an audience to be happy. I'm traipsing around the country. Not doing much to save the world. Maybe I should do something else. But I kept coming back to the songs. I needed to follow through --- and I knew I wouldn't get off so easily. And then I teamed up with Fantasy, and here we are.

JK: "Another Country" is hard to categorize.

TM: Thank you.

JK: Yes, but you make it hard for yourself.

TM: I don't sit around and choose to make this music. I do this because it's real. Do critics do this to filmmakers --- put the funny ones in the comedy box? I think it's crazy for me to edit myself so I can make it easy for others.

JK: What are you like on stage?

TM: Performing is a safe place for me to throw my intensity, as hard as I want.

JK: I'm having trouble imagining that. You seem like such a...oh...little sister...a nice kid. Can you rip it up?

TM: Hey, I don't do this job because I'm bad at it.

JK: Noted. What will this tour be like?

TM: The guys. And budget motels.

JK: But not the same as before?

TM: This feels like a plan. I know: The beginning of any record is sunny. But I feel... smarter.

JK: What's this new-fangled NPR podcast about?

TM: It's a great way to keep reading and learning and seeing how others struggle with the issues I do. I record it on my laptop, edit it on ProTools. And you can find it on Marfa Public Radio.

JK: I hate to ask, but in an election year, people really seem to care about belief. Do you have a religious practice?

TM: I'm a musician. Of course I have an inner life.

I loved Bramble Rose so I was glad to get this new CD and I am not disappointed at all. In fact, I love this CD. Her voice shines on certain tracks, like Another Country and Broken, and delivers solid performances on I Know What I'm Looking for Now and Keep You Happy. Her lyrics have matured with her and are quite often moving and thought provoking. It's a great listen and I play it in the car each day. I don't care much for the french language song, but I'm sure it pays homage to her year in Paris and has a personal meaning for her. The rest of the songs are wonderful.

Rather than on single track, I have always put emphasis on the entire album in evaluating an artist's style and Tift's long awaited "France" album is the furthest from disappointing I have heard in a long time!!!
She has put her heart into this and it shows big time!!
There is not one dud track in this - nothing you would skip over!! Each track equally valuable and the title track especially evocative!

I am so looking forward to seeing her when her tour comes to the UK later this year

I came in relatively early, right after Bramble Rose was released. She immediately went on my radar as an artist to be reckoned with. Seems the critics agreed, but the mainstream ignored her. Some play on GAC and CMT, but she never caught on. I really enjoyed the album, but at the time I was thinking, "Wait for the voice to mature, and show more range in style." Then, here comes Tambourine and I'm thinking, "Yah, I sure called that one." Again, the critics agreed; even the Grammys noticed. Even less play on the video channels and no one else noticed. Had tickets for her in Columbia, MO. But, that got cancelled when she got billed with Elvis Costello. Looked like Tambourine might have legs. I understood she had to do what she needed to do. Sorely disappointed though. I knew it would likely be my one chance to see her. We don't get much entertainment out here in Wheretheheckamiandwhyamihere, Iowa.

Then, nothing.

I'm no insider, and I sure don't know much about spiritual journeys to France. I just happened to be in the Target out here in Whatdididosowrongastowinduphere, Iowa and wandered over to the CD, DVD racks. Couldn't believe my eyes. A new Tift Merritt album. That's all I needed to know.

I was well rewarded for my trust in her. Her voice is rich and rings like a bell; the lyrics outstanding. In general, the sound harks back to earlier days yet, track after track stands solidly on its own. I meant to jump on Amazon and write the review right then. I don't write all that many reviews. Would have been near the first review, too. Just as well. Had a chance to play it a couple more times, which has led me to beleive that this is probably the best album of the year. And it's only March. I listen to a wide range of music, nearly constantly. Don't much like such grandstanding in the millions of Amazon reviews out there. But, I think I'm on solid ground here. Tift Merrit has the best album of 2008. Already. So, maybe this time she'll get noticed? Well, she already has been here in Getmeouttahere, Iowa.

Without question, Tift Merritt is one of the finer female artists to have come down the pike in the last ten years. She made an Americana splash with her 2002 debut album BRAMBLE ROSE, then injected Southern soul into her 2004 album TAMBOURINE. And now comes ANOTHER COUNTRY, and another great album, making it three fine albums in a row for this North Carolina-based lady.

Getting great assistance from her former Carbines drummer Zeke Hutchins, Americana musician great Charlie Sexton, and her TAMBOURINE producer George Drakoulias, who also mans the controls here as well, Tift once again shows a great songwriting intelligence and spunk that makes her out as a truly authentic talent. There is the use of R&B-style horn sections on "Tell Me Something True"; and songs such as "Something To Me", "Tender Branch", and "Broken", like much of her debut album, see her meld the influences of legendary country-rock icons Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris into her own brew. She even indulges in a little French on "Mille Tendresses", inspired by her experiences in Paris.

Thus far, Tift has been largely a critics' and fans' favorite, though she did get a Grammy nod for TAMBOURINE. But with her songwriting gift and her talent so on display here, there is reason to believe that true stardom is within her reach now. There is also reason to believe that should that stardom come, Tift won't let it go to her head. She clearly loves what she does, and that kind of enthusiasm is very much in evidence on ANOTHER COUNTRY, definitely a winner.

I bought this CD for the song "Another Country" which is played in the movie "New in Town" with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. The song is very moving to me and this woman, who I had never heard of before, has a very pretty voice. I've only listened to the whole thing a couple times so far so can't really rate the other songs, although none of them sounded bad to me.

Those who catch only the first tune of "Another Country" -- an album that explores the sometimes rocky territory of love -- might think that the album is just that -- all country music. An upbeat, uptempo country song that, lyrically, delves into the depths of sorrow, but not regret, that one can feel at the end of an affair. A steady drumbeat leads listeners into "Broken", a tune about the bewilderment and numbness one feels when recovering from a broken heart. And the last words -- "Again and again, I think I will break but I mend" -- go to the heart of what makes Merrit a five star writer: she doesn't get maudlin. She acknowledges pain and heartbreak and even death, and then insists that we (and she) pick ourselves back up by the bootstraps and keep on keepin' on. Even so, "Another Country", piano-driven ballad, may be the most _wistful_ paean to the idea of love ever penned. Always on the outside looking in, never quite finding the right door, the right key, the singer remains hopeful that one day she, too, might visit, and one day live in, that other country. "Hopes Too High" is pop-country tune that features a Springstee-eque harmonica solo and skirts the edges of hopelessness, refusing to give in to darkness. A reviewer who covered this album when it came out, marveled at how Merrit sounds like Diana Ross in some of her vocals for "Morning is My Destination", a funky, souful tune in which a woman pleads for a night of passion (something to get her through the night) with her lover. There are some definite similarities, but it's all Merrit when the bluesy pleading begins. "Keep You Happy" is an uptempo folk-country song. Pop/country melodies carry the tune of "I Know What I'm Looking For Now", with just a hint of gospel (organ-driven) uplift in the chorus of this song about a woman who has lived through wrong-headed affairs and come out with a stronger heart and even more determination to find love. And "Tell Me Something True" is the album's actual Motown-style piece, with hand-clapping a singing-style that _does_ sound as if Meritt is channeling Diana Ross, and well-placed (stax-style) horn sections. This tune is every bit as danceable and memoralbe as "Good Hearted Man" (from the "Tambourine" album), and the only reason it didn't become a follow-up hit is because no one knows how to properly market these days. "My Heart is Free" begins with an acoustic guitar strum, followed by a Hendrix-hazy electric guitar lick. It's the ultimate, I-own-my-heart, song, and features truly solid writing and playing (guitars, especially), but... it doesn't quite fit in (in my estimation) with the thematic flow of the rest of the album. Which makes it the only stumble in this album, and, in fact, any of Merrit's last three albums (but it's minor enough to not lose the five star rating). A slow, lazy, sweet waltz, "Tender Branch" is lovely song, both in tune and in lyric, about learning to _not_ tilt at windmills for the whole of one's life. And it (along with "Another Country") heralds Merrit's move from promising and talented songwriter to lyric poet. It (and the title song) is that good. To round things out, Merrit (who spent a year in Paris before this album was recorded), sings a cover version of a poetic, pop French song, "Mille Tendresses" (which translated means, 1000 Tendernesses). Merrit does an excellent job of (fluently) singing the tune. It was written by Tran Perry and, any of its verses and chorus would be worth quoting, but the last verse/chorus drives home the album's theme:
"And if we lose each other one evening of the fall,
Flying on the air like th lyric of this song,
Never forget that I will find you again,
In 1000 tendernesses, in each tenderness I find."

"Another Country" is a beautiful, musical and lyrical exploration of that land wherein we all want to spend the rest of our days (and nights) -- the country of love.