Customer Reviews

Distillation

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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~Erin Mckeown has taken a wealth of influences and used them to create the first completely original singer/songwriter album I've heard in a long time...this is certainly not a "3 chords and the truth" album, nor is it "jazzy" in the traditional Joni Mitchell sense of the word. The album sets a new standard for grittiness with bone-dry production and songs that are played with swagger. The lyrics, while obviously personal, are definitly not in the story-teller vein...abstract and~~ oblique enough to allow internalization by the listener. This is singer/songwriter music with rock and roll attitude delivered in a completely original and unique way. One of those CDs you can't believe you were lucky enough to discover.~

She's the queen of quiet and soon the UK is going to see what the US has been keeping from them when her debut album "Distillation" gets a UK release in February. Already very popular and well known among the folk community of the states, this is the 24 year old Erin McKeown's first major release after her two successful 2,500 cassette only releases, a self-titled debut and "Monday Morning Cold" (1998) and. One of America's best-kept secrets and well worth the wait.

Mrs McKeown in her songs achieves the goal of both being distinctly modern, living up to her post-Bjork and Moby comparisons and at the same time old fashioned brining swinging 1920's jazz onto such songs as "Blackbirds". Erin grew up in Virginia and it was at Brown University that she found her unique gift for combining music old and new into her own hybrid style. Very difficult to pigeonhole in one genre toying with everything from modern pop, swing jazz and cabaret. She showcases here all her past influences and love of music and movies. While it's easy to get caught up with the comparisons it must also be said that this is unlike anything else before it, Erin is the first of her kind and it's easier to imagine that in the future people will compare artists to her, instead of visa versa which is a view shared by many writers like Dar Williams, "Don't let anybody tell you that Erin McKeown is the 'next' anyone. She's the very first Erin McKeown, and she's great."

Another extraordinary thing is the production, or lack of it. All of this record is self financed and instead of confining her sound to a soulless generic recording studio Erin and producer David Chalfant relocated to a farmhouse out in Massachusetts. All of the tracks were recorded here and very few have any processed electronic tinkering on them .The songs are refreshingly real sounding and gritty without the usual re-mastering that occurs. What you get is what happened and this, for use of a better word makes it sound real and fresh. The whole thing from the recording to promotion (self promoted from word of mouth and her website) is all very down to earth and grassroots.

Plucky guitar opener "Queen of Quiet" the shortest of the songs offered here, introduces unusual and enchanting vocal stylings not to dissimilar to US singers Kd Lang, but more energetic and uplifting. It also showcases her brilliant song writing with lyrics confessing her to be "The kind of lover that won't run for cover, what kind of lover am I?". Then "Blackbirds", a jazzy, blues style number is so catchy and infectious with it's danceable blues guitar sounds and lovable lyrics harking back in many ways to the children's rhyme with the birds of the same name. If you don't get the urge to dance to this, then check for a pulse. All the songs have smart lyrics from an artist who is offering us everything she is and while some of the best are partly collages of other influences as used on "Blackbirds" she really comes into herself with the more coherent songs like "The Little Cowboy" with the haunting images of roses and cocaine. While we've had ladies giving us distinct and original vocals before, Alanis Morrisette or Ani Difranco for instance, it's the combination her of striking singing and skilful playing of whatever instrument she picks up be it a banjo or a guitar. Smart and very cool.

To the slow emotional "How to open my heart in 4 easy steps". Erin flexing her songwritting muscles again and asking kindly to "Untie these strings, from around my heart" and sadly confessing herself as "undone". That description is appropriate for this and many songs that are so open and overflowing with ideas and emotion. The perfect almost-a-love songs to complete the amazingly eclectic collection of songs.

So cheerful and instantly likable, so diverse that everyone will find something here to there taste. Fans of eclectic musicians like Badly Drawn Boy and the increasingly famous Polyphonic Spree will embrace this album openly. Buy this and then buy her previous albums on re-release soon.

The topics of uncertainty and love has never been so subtly expressed as Erin McKeown has managed to do so, and in her debut proper 'Distillation' she explores swing, folk and Tin Pan Alley jazz with beguiling consequences. Acoustic guitar number 'Queen of Quiet' is the first and the shortest song, with McKeown's Deep South drawl adding to the uplifting mood set by this opener. 'Blackbirds' develops with a more of a jazz/blues style, delivered with a great deal of swagger, and she manages to do that to more or a lesser degree in every song.

It is with lyrics that the 24 year old excels in the most. Subjects of death among others are dealt with humour and sensitivity, "....we both found heaven right then, you just chose not to come back...." in 'La Petite Mort' a country number with bluegrass roots, and touches on the topics of cocaine and roses in the poignant 'The Little Cowboy' where McKeown reaches Joni Mitchell levels of diva dizziness. The slim production of the record successfully brings out McKeown's ability to use an instrument both rhythmically and sonically. As a result of this the songs sound resolute and bright, with the result that the quieter moments on this record are at times the memorable and striking moments, especially on the quieter times on 'Daisy and Prudence' and the yearning 'Love In 2 Parts' which shows her songwriting to be strong and her delivery impeccable. Swing is also an obvious influence, and provides the jollier moments with a cover of Rodger and Hart's 'You mustn't kick it around' and the quirky 'Didn't They?'. Each song is intricate despite its simplicity, overflowing with invention and sentiment, and is sure to win the hearts of those who cross her path. With 'Distillation' Erin McKeown has proved that less is indeed much, much more.

Ricky

"Distillation" has several songs that catch your attention and grab you right away and others that grow on you and become like old friends. Is it folk, jazz, indie, rock??? Who cares! If McKeown can make a couple more CD's like this one in the next five years she'll be a major player. For the moment she's produced an album to rival Ryan Adam's "Heartbreaker" for best of the year. Every song and every performance is an absolute delight!

It is the only song I have heard thus far and I can't help but buy this CD. Blackbirds is the catchiest sexiest funk jazz blues song I have heard in a LONG time. I caught it on WNCW. It is a really cool radio station that you can get on the web... It is Not your uncle otto's public radio station, that is for sure.

I've been following Erin McKeown since she was a 19-year-old Brown student playing a ten-minute set at the open stage of a local coffeehouse. Her emotional intensity and uniquely compelling voice were backed by her unusually skilled guitar playing, and I wanted to hear more.

Since then, she has only gotten better. Distillation is an apt name for an album that pulls together the sound Erin has been honing for years through constant touring and intense dedication. Her songs are smart, sexy and well-played, and there is no one on the scene quite like her. Catch her now, because chances are good that she'll be huge soon enough.

Erin McKeown is fabulous! She is a refreshing, funny, witty, thought provoking addition to folk music. Not to mention her excellent guitar playing.
I highly recommend this album for anyone who is tired of the mundane. There are very few songs I did not throughly enjoy on this album. To see her live is a wonderful experience. So small you barely see her behind the guitar but she is an excellent performer and when she starts singing, watch out! You do not expect the strength and sultriness from such a tiny woman. You will be impressed!

Amazing. Simply amazing. The first time I heard her voice on the radio, I began hunting for her. It is that simple: listen to one song. Fall in love. Each person I have played the CD for has gone searching for their own copy. Treat yourself to a tremendously sharp and catchy album. Each day one of her songs will flit through your head and lift your mood. This album feels built to last, and she will only grow. Discover her now. (Do I sound excited enough?)

Erin comes of age in her new album. I have known her since we lived in Finlandia Co-op together in college in Providence. I can't believe how much her sound has progressed in that time. (And I really liked her earlier music.) In Distillation, Erin showcases a unique blend of music styles that coalesce into her own style of pop. It's hard to describe. You just have to hear it.

Finding good singer-songwriters is daunting enough these days. Finding one who is as clever and talented as Erin McKeown is like winning the lottery. Buy this CD if you enjoy spare reflections, unique word-play, loveable original lyrics and well-done covers of folk tunes.