In the Cool

Pieta Brown

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Valley
• ASIN: B000AE8FTE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,384 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Eight seconds into track one, there's the voice: calming, hypnotic and seductive, it stands inimitable, disembarking like a sultry Midwest breeze and sticking to the ribs like a Delta afternoon. But the singer is also a talented songwriter, and Pieta Brown crafts sharp-eyed and spiritual tunes in the inherent mold of her folksinger father Greg Brown--and with the spirit of the Alabama upbringing by her mother--for a unique soundtrack of country blues, whispered folk and front-porch lullabies. Recorded live at Memphis' famed Ardent Studios, Pieta's third record expands on the minimalist production of her self-titled debut, and guitarist Bo Ramsey returns to ride shotgun, wrapping his inconspicuous blues licks around complex arrangements and the sessions' barn-burning rhythm section. Yet that slide guitar on the sizzling title song belongs to Pieta, and she resonates like the queen of cool, begging to "put on Jimmy Vaughn" so we can "dance all day long." If the next dance is in the cool, I'm there. --Scott Holter

Product Description
Recorded live at Ardent Studios in Memphis, In the Cool is a collection of deep-grooved songs that are full of meaning and images…some fixed, many open to interpretation. They represent not only her own experiences, but also a very real musical conversation with guitarist/co-producer Bo Ramsey (Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams). When Pieta was 17 she went to see Ramsey play for the first time, and leaning all alone against a barroom wall, she was mesmerized. She remembers thinking matter-of-factly, "Someday I’m gonna play music with that guy." They’ve been friends ever since, and years later, their connection can be felt tangibly throughout In the Cool, lending the record a quality of home, of words unspoken.

In the Cool is remarkable and real, a truly human catch-in-the-throat, a sequence of personal moments simmering beneath a surface of professional edge, stellar production and exceptional musicianship. Contributing to this is an all-star lineup including bassist Hutch Hutchinson (Bonnie Raitt), bassist Dave Jacques (John Prine), keyboardist Kevin McKendree(Delbert McClinton, Etta James, Lee Roy Parnell) and drummer Bryan Owings (Buddy & Julie Miller, Shelby Lynne).

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pieta Brown - In the Cool (a review), March 30, 2006

By	Tracy M. Rogers "deaeterna" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Pieta Brown
In the Cool
Valley Entertainment
http://www.pietabrown.com/

Singer-songwriter Pieta Brown's In the Cool is a blues-, old school country-, and folk-drenched musical journey into the Mississippi delta, an album born in the juke joints, smokey barrooms, and cotton fields of the south. A vocal and lyrical hybrid of Canadian chanteuse Leslie Feist and Arkansas-born country-rock goddess Lucinda Williams, Brown weaves her dreamy southern musical landscape with the help of producer and guitarist Bo Ramsey (best known for his work with Brown's father, Greg and the aformentioned Ms. Williams). The songs on In the Cool range from the sultry barroom opener, "#807," to the rollicking, "feel good" blues of the title track to the Carter Family-meets-Patsy Cline country of "This Old Dress." Other highlights include the shuffling country-rock lost love ballad "Ring of Gold," the ominous, swaggering blues-rock anthem "Tears Won't Do Any Good," and the twangy blues-country mosey "Lonesome Songs" (which features backing vocals by Ramsey, Greg Brown, and the incomparable Iris Dement). Throughout Brown proves herself a songwriter worthy of comparisons to both Williams and Feist, spinning tales of loves lost and wisdom gained.

- Tracy M. Rogers

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars smooth, October 5, 2005

By	michele follis (colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There isn't a song on here that I don't like. Pieta reminds me of Norah Jones in the fact that she has this amazing voice that captures the listener - smooth and silky. An amazing mix of sounds - from rock, blues and just boardering on country. Love it!

2.0 out of 5 stars Cat Scratch, February 8, 2009

By	Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I was interested to hear what Greg Brown's daughter sounds like. This disc sat near my computer for six months as I tried to figure out what to say about the music. Despite other glowing reviews, I didn't warm to this disc. The songs don't strike me as distinctive; it's as if there's not a unique voice writing. While the musicianship is excellent, Pieta's vocals on "4th of July" sound like she's imitating Bob Dylan's talk-sing era. It's not effective. I like the groove of "In the Cool," but the sigh-sing delivery of Brown is repetitive. It might have been better as an instrumental. Iris DeMent, who is one of my favorite singers, does backing on "This Old Dress." Unfortunately, the melody is the same old da-dat-da-DA, DA-DAT-DA-da. It also sounds like Brown is not quite hitting the notes as a vocalist. Pieta's vocals on "How Many Times" are particularly thin and unmusical. While the band and genre greatly appeal to me, the songwriting is bland and the vocals have the charm of a cat scratch. Taxi!