Filth & Fire

Mary Gauthier

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 9, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Signature Sounds
• ASIN: B000068QUC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,916 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The misfit, prodigal lives that scrape and struggle through this Louisiana-born singer-songwriter's third album are all "looking for the grace from which they fell." They find it in unlikely images and places: a freeway phone booth, a stolen Christmas tree, a flaming field of sugar cane, a motel tryst, a sunset "the color of everything." Producer Gurf Morlix's signature sound--churning Hammond organ, bubbling vintage guitars, swampy grooves--isn't just well suited to Gauthier's vision--it toughens the moral grit and turns up the emotional heat. If Gauthier remains obsessed with the darker side of life, she also knows of the human truths hidden there. Like Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town or Lucinda Williams's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Filth & Fire is an immediately convincing work of personal, poetic realism. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shot Full of Holes in Love, January 22, 2003

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

Mary Gauthier's "Filth & Fire" is her 3rd recorded set. She writes country like it's supposed to be, which would be unrecognizable to the Nashville photo-opp crowd. The opener, "Walk Through the Fire," is a determined dirge with a disarmingly beautiful melody, "So I let go of lovers; I let go of diamonds; I've plenty of sins to atone while I walk through the fire alone." On "A Long Way to Fall" Gurf Morlix plays a weissenborn. I confess that I don't know what that is; but I admire Mary bringing in less common instruments to flavor the arrangements. Catie Curtis, who is one of my favorite folkies, co-wrote "Sugar Cane" with Mary. Catie's version is on her "My Shirt Looks Good On You" CD. Both versions are good; but Mary's gives the somber song with its pretty melody a distinctly country flair with Darcie Deaville's fiddle lending a wistful resignation. "Merry Go Round" is a sad midtempo track about abuse & drug addiction, "From the phone booth on the freeway when there's no one left to call; to the porcelain God you pray to in the public restroom stall." Peter Rowan's mandolin makes a cheerful sound on "Good-Bye" as Mary, who was herself adopted, sings about a mother giving up her baby. "Cheaters, liars, outlaws & fallen angels come looking for the grace from which they fell; They hold on to each other in the darkness," Mary sings in the depressingly gorgeous "Camelot Motel." "After You're Gone" is a tear-in-your-beer special slow song. "The Ledge" gets our toe tapping a bit as Mary's vocal is one part howl, one part moan. "Christmas In Paradise" is a great ballad about two down-&-outs celebrating under a bridge. Jonathan Pointer's "For Rose" is a slow sad song about the aftermath of a war or a love affair; sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. "We hold on to each other, but to our faith we cling," Mary laments on "The Sun Fades the Color of Everything." This set is dark in tone. It is a territory which has the voice of experience in these tunes. Let Mary tug at your heart.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you love music? You'll love this!, October 21, 2002

By A Customer

Mary Gauthier is a force to be reckoned with. Mary's songwriting skills are the things that writers of any kind dream about. You listen to her music and are drawn away from your world, and into her's. You cannot listen to these songs and not be totally captured by their lyrics. If you love great American songwriter's you will love Mary Gauthier. She will one day be recognized as one of our best. Mary has been referred to as a female Townes Van Zandt and this reference captures her perfectly. If you are a fan of great songwriter's Van Zandt, Guy Clark, or Dylan you are already a fan of Mary Gauthier. I will leave you with this statement: You want to buy this CD!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new voice for the dark side of America, August 17, 2002

By A Customer

I first heard Mary on John Kelly's programme on Irish radio here in Manchester. Her captivating voice stopped me in my tracks and made me listen. I was immediately enthralled by her sonorous voice and uncomprising lyrics. Mary sings with authority about the alcoholics, the junkies, the down and outs, etc. who have been bypassed by the American dream. These are her people and she sings of them with affection and love. I cannot reccomend this CD too highly, particularly the song "Christmas in Paradise"