Customer Reviews

The Foundling

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"The Foundling" is another gem of a CD from Mary Gauthier. She decided to write an album that told a narrative, in this case, her own story of being abandoned at birth and her search 45 years later for her birth mother. Ms. Gauthier said that she was inspired by a Willie Nelson album, where he, too, presented a unified theme across the songs. These songs are very personal and poignant, especially the rejection that Ms. Gauthier experienced when she finally located and found the courage to call her birth mother ("You say I'm a secret--nobody knows--and you can't talk about it now and you really gotta go"). This is a lovely album, and it is highly recommended for those of you who like folk singers who write intimate songs that are rich and meaningful. Ms. Gauthier has her own very individualistic style of composing songs, and her albums just get better and better.

Throughout my lifetime, I have been a fan of crying-in-your-beer, lay-your-head-on-a-railroad-track music. The Foundling is right in there with its refrain of "I want to walk in the water until my hat floats away." Mary's heart-wrenching life experiences are an indelible part of her and the lyrics born of these experiences are stark and unadulterated. The Foundling is a stunning piece of work. No Depression declares that MG has "created her first masterpiece." ". . .great art that reminds listeners of what the blues could be, but rarely are." " . . . the most raw, brave and ultimately satisfying album I've heard in a very long time. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."

In the middle of her misery, along comes the song "Sideshow" replete with fiddle and horns. While this song is written with a wink and a nod, and tongue planted firmly in cheek, the lyrics also ring undoubtedly true---a feat which can only be achieved by a great songwriter.

People stare and then they walk away
There's always a few who stay
From the stage I watch `em close their eyes
Like a little kid trying to hide
Like they're somewhere they ain't supposed to be
Watching something they ain't supposed to see
Giving into the undertow
In the dark at the sideshow

Chorus
I make a living at the sideshow
It's a place where the wounded go
Far away from the bright lights
Hard to find on a dark night
Another truly troubled troubadour
Writing songs to even up the score
A tune for every single body blow
And I sing `em at the side show

And who likes to think about their pain
Most people would avoid the rain
A sunny song will help you make it through
(undetermined lyric)
Too many songs about happiness
Leave me sad and lonely and depressed
A million miles from the radio
You can find me at the sideshow

I saw Gauthier at a performance for a group of radio industry professionals. It was by far the highlight of the conference. Her songs are about loneliness and heartache, so they aren't light by any means. But they don't bring me down. Rather she is such a compelling storyteller that I am interested in the people she describes. I want to know about their lives. I don't want to tune them out. It's a bit like watching "The Grapes of Wrath." It's a part of America I should know about and Gauthier has the voice and the words to do the stories justice.

The Foundling starts with Mary Gauthier's sorrowful acapella moan "A foundling, a foundling, looking for home. Wanders through darkness and travels alone."

And thus sets the tone for the rest of The Foundling, a 13-song opus dedicated to Gauthier's childhood as an adoptee and her adulthood search for her real mother. This is sad music to its core: the music itself is subdued, languid and echoey, like it was recorded in a dark, empty, cold room, underscoring the loss that Gauthier undeniably felt. Minor keys are plentiful. And the words are heart-wrenching: snippets such as "this night has no ended/this darkness no ending/descending descending/mama here, mama gone" illustrate the depths of Gauthier's pain, and make this listener glad he's not in such anguish. In one word, this album is forlorn.

And yet despite having a singular subject, The Foundling hits many different notes, and is beautiful to boot. Gauthier skips across several different styles, from traditional guitar folk to zydeco (she IS from New Orleans) to rock (almost), and does so with confidence and skill. Musically, the album is stellar, especially the lovely fiddle work. And lyrically, there are moments that almost seem like hope or strength: "but I still believe in love" over and over again in "The Orphan King." The occasional lifting fiddle line hints at something sunnier.

But the album never gets there. There's no escaping that this is a sad country album with no happy ending. This might upset some people, but from this reviewer's perspective, facing the unflinching truth is one way to make great art in this world. And as a lover of art, I welcome albums like this into my life, if only to give me a glimpse into something I myself will never experience.

I have always enjoyed living Mary Gauthier's eclectic experiences vicariously. I wrongfully made the decision NOT to buy "The Foundling" because it was a one-way theme on child abandonment and adoption. I then decided, because I own every other album Mary did, I should at least keep my collection whole and bought it. Thank goodness! This is her best album to date. I parked on a cliff to watch the ocean after a storm and popped in "The Foundling". Suddenly I realized that in song after song, the lyrics and rhythm moved in perfect harmony with the waves and swells; Mary captured life. We are all so vulnerable on this planet, but she has found the beauty somehow, amid the threat and melancholy. I did not know I was lost or even a foundling, but a huge piece of the puzzle of life showed its face. Buy it!

Mary Gauthier has been compared to almost every important Americana musician from the past couple of decades, and all of those comparisons are warranted, if you listen to "The Foundling." That said, I think she carves out a very personal space in the world of music right now. Based on the autobiographical story of her own adoption, including her search for her mother and the disappointing phone call that made her realize they wouldn't have a connection.

"March 11, 1962" is the most obviously gut-wrenching-- a spoken word track approximating the phone call between Mary and her estranged mother. I've never heard a line like, 'I know we're strangers, but/ We might just hurt the same.'

Using haunting phrases, though, is Mary's longsuit-- look to songs like, "Blood is Blood," where she says, "I've got a hole in me like I was never born." WOW.

If you're wondering what it sounds like, the album was produced by Mike Timmons (Cowboy Junkies) and though it's certainly a Mary Gauthier album, it has the Timmons watermark all over it. Between the interludes and the final coda, all of the orchestration paired with devastating subtlety, this album is a masterpiece.

Every song on here is special and stunning. I can't say enough about it. I've written about it on my personal blog-- [...] -- where I'm giving away one free copy. I'd advise everyone to enter or purchase your own copy-- this is a remarkable album.

The songs on The Foundling are all related to Mary Gauthier's own experience of being given up for adoption by her birth mother. I found a number of them haunting and deeply moving.

WARNING: This is the most intimate, most autographical and most heartbreaking album you will hear in 2010. It is also probably the best. Gauthier uses the songs on THE FOUNDLING to examine her abondonment as an infant from every possible angle. Still, the album never sounds indulgent or self-pitying; Mary bares her heart and soulf in such an honest and straightforward manner that you will alternately cry for her and applaud her courage and resilience. Especially poignant are "The Orphan King" and "March 11, 1962."

Listening to Mary with her mournful and eerie sound, you get a good picture of her life. In this case, the theme here is abandonment in this concept album. Mary was abandoned by her mother in St. Vincent's Hospital in New Orleans; was adopted and endured the ugly childhood so many have. She has the baggage... abandonment, search, rejection.

But, start from the beginning with the Foundling, the mood takes one back, and trying to figure what happened in Mary's life. Aside from the storyline, from pain to believe in love, I really enjoyed the music here, the many instruments, accordion, slide guitar, fiddle, organ, violin.

I can't pick a favorite, I low the flow of the music, the voice and of course the story told. Many people will associate themselves with Mary's story; she speaks for millions, no matter how your childhood was experienced. Listen to this..... Rizzo

I am late to the party in appreciating the artistry of Mary Gauthier. I first heard of her from her recording of Mercy Now used on the BBC television program Case Histories. A month later I have all of her albums and am overwhelmed by the purity, the intensity and above all else, the honesty contained in this music. Yeah it can be tough to listen to, sad sometimes, intense, but there is not one drop of self indulgence. Its a tough life but there is redemption at the end of the road and beauty in the journey. Listen to this music and you will find an artist with the courage to open her heart and soul. The Foundling continues her story with perhaps her most developed work to date. Outstanding!