Beguiler

Angela Easterling | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 19, 2011)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: De L'Est
• ASIN: B0052E5Z9U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,530 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Angela Easterling is back with a new CD, produced by Will Kimbrough (Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffett, Rodney Crowell) and featuring her band, THE BEGUILERS (Jeff Hook & Brandon Turner) plus special guests: Robert Plant's Band of Joy bassist Byron House; Fats Kaplin, Fayssoux Starling McLean & Hannah Miller ! Easterling is a two-time Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Finalist and a Telluride Troubadour Finalist about whom Vintage Guitar Magazine said, If Steve Earle was reborn a girl, he would likely be Angela Easterling. Roger McGuinn of legendary folk-rock group The Byrds called her A bright shining star on the horizon!, and went on to say, Her gift is so special... brought me back to the time the Byrds recorded Sweetheart of the Rodeo - tradition meets youthful exuberance. For more info on Angela, including bio, tour dates and more, please visit her website: AngelaEasterling(dot)com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beguiler is a Fine Third Record July 25, 2011

By Stoger Ranley

Format:Audio CD

On the heels of the similarly Will Kimbrough-produced Blacktop Road, Beguiler provides even more engaging songs in Angela Easterling's Americana mode. Influenced in performance by everything from gospel/spiritual ("Anchored in Love") through pop culture ("A Married Man," inspired by AMC's Mad Men series) to American history ("Johnstown, Pennsylvania"), these ten originals and two covers (one penned by her guitarist Brandon Turner) extend the range shown on Earning Her Wings and Blacktop Road. Nashville perennial Fats Kaplin is back again on fiddle and Robert Plant-bassist Byron House joins the players this time. Though I miss Anne McCue's lap steel and occasional lead guitar work from the sophomore album, the sound here is superb--particularly on the rocker "Two Clouds." Yet relationship songs are probably what Angela Easterling does best: witness the slow, wistful "Pocket" and the bouncy "One V. Two" here. A fine release from a recent Telluride Bluegrass Festival songwriting winner (for "Maria, My Friend"). . .

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD by Angela Easterling and Band July 29, 2011

By E. Robinson

Format:Audio CD

Great songs, great singing, great playing - especially the guitar work by Brandon Turner. Don't miss them if you get a chance to see this band play live. The show they put on at the CD release party in Spartanburg SC in mid-July was fantastic - and with forty years plus of hearing live music I know of what I speak - imho.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Angela Easterling's New CD is Beguiling July 24, 2011

By mando_lines

Format:Audio CD

Several of the songs on Beguiler (which means to charm by deception) have deception as a theme. Most notable is Group Self-Deception (It's Alright). So what's an honest girl doing singing about all these lies? Telling the truth about them, of course, in a voice that is strong and clear, backed by The Beguilers, who are Brandon Turner (guitar) and Jeff Hook (drums). Will Kimbrough, who produced the record, also plays on it along with Byron House (bass) and Fats Kaplin (fiddle, accordion, pedal steel). Mr. Kimbrough has taken this very strong cast of players and found just the right combination of instruments for each song, resulting in the impression that each song is recorded just as it should be, nothing missing and nothing extra.

In truth, all the songs on Beguiler aren't about deception. Ms. Easterling wrote 10 of the 12 songs on the CD, which are more extensions than departures from the themes of her previous work. That said, these songs, like Ms. Easterling, seem more mature and self-confident. Musically, Beguiler runs the gamut from the light and upbeat Happy Song to a slow and sad Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Ms. Easterling rocks us on Two Clouds, goes country on A Married Man and takes us to a cool jazz club on Pocket. All in all, a fine CD from an up-and-coming singer songwriter. Give it a listen.