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Amazon.co.uk Review
Erin McKeown's quirky, folksy music on Distillation weds the intimacy of the coffee-house circuit with the braininess of her daytime gig as an ethnomusicology student at Brown University. Accompanying herself on guitar, piano, banjo and the odd sampler, this precocious Virginia native has crafted a winning album of original songs that range from the coy minimalism of "Queen of Quiet" to the genuine beauty of "How to Open My Heart in 4 Easy Steps". McKeown infuses her songs with a droll wit and a keen awareness of jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley traditions (how many 23-year-olds cover Rodgers and Hart's "You Mustn't Kick It Around"?). With its echoes of Gillian Welch, KD Lang, Suzanne Vega and the Handsome Family, Distillation is an eclectic collection of mostly upbeat tunes that play nicely while the barn is burning. --Bill Forman
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Never heard of Erin until I saw her live supporting the Be Good Tanya's . Just stunning , the voice , the guitar playing , just had to buy the album and it didn't disappoint . A wonderful listen of styles that you just wouldn't consider and yet captivate and entrance on every hearing .
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Funky fresh and charming. This lass has it all, perky poppy folk to some blistering bluesy riffs. If you don't mind straying from the everyday you will not be dissapointed. + "fast as I can" is so beautiful I thought my heart would burst out of my chest. Great deep piano chords at the perfect moment. try it and see.
Format:Audio CD
I don't understand why Erin Mckeown isn't more famous. Why doesn't her pretty face adorn the covers of magazines, why do her sultry tones not sing out from televisual adverts? Bad marketing? Lack of exposure? I don't know.
I don't mind though, because Erin is a nice secret to have. Hers are albums which pay no tribute to any particular genre and instead focus on delivering completely satisfying songs that nod to swing, folk, pop, Judy Garland, pop-punk and most other styles you might mention. She is a great song writer, and this album showcases her lyrical wit, fine musicianship and keen sense of melody. And the ability to suggestively turn a phrase.
Her sexy side makes itself especially obvious on the euphemistic Blackbirds, in which her husky alto voice intertwines with an infectious groove laid down by bass, drums and electric piano. Sex is one of the albums main themes really, as is guilt. Le Petite Mort, 'a little death', takes its name from the French euphemism for orgasm.
Guilt manifests itself in the short ditty Didn't They?, in which the singer's secret is never explicitly stated, but then doesn't really need to be. "You in your half shirt and lies/me with the half-lit eyes/what a pair/who would ever suspect?/Mama, I'm as frightened as a girl with a secret can be". It's all rather sweetly delivered, and in this way Mckeown's songs often belie their murky subject matter.
The cover of You Mustn't Kick It Around is a clever inclusion, offering some light relief at the half way point. Not to say that the album is heavy or depressive. It's music perfect for a sunny day, or a day in bed, or most any other time really. While musically it never deviates too far from it's country and folk origins, it remains fresh-sounding throughout. I've heard it said that Mckeown's voice is grating and flat. I won't have any of this. To my ears her voice is engaging and bright and likeable. The musicians who contribute here are all talented. In particular the drumming on Distillation, when it's there, lends a vibrancy to the album. Mckeown's certainly no slouch on the guitar either. Joni Mitchell she may not be, but she sure does a good Django.
I can't recommend Erin Mckeown enough. There's nothing not to like here, or indeed on her other releases. This or Grand would both make excellent first purchases. Both contain endearing, playful, thinking-person's pop.
I don't mind though, because Erin is a nice secret to have. Hers are albums which pay no tribute to any particular genre and instead focus on delivering completely satisfying songs that nod to swing, folk, pop, Judy Garland, pop-punk and most other styles you might mention. She is a great song writer, and this album showcases her lyrical wit, fine musicianship and keen sense of melody. And the ability to suggestively turn a phrase.
Her sexy side makes itself especially obvious on the euphemistic Blackbirds, in which her husky alto voice intertwines with an infectious groove laid down by bass, drums and electric piano. Sex is one of the albums main themes really, as is guilt. Le Petite Mort, 'a little death', takes its name from the French euphemism for orgasm.
Guilt manifests itself in the short ditty Didn't They?, in which the singer's secret is never explicitly stated, but then doesn't really need to be. "You in your half shirt and lies/me with the half-lit eyes/what a pair/who would ever suspect?/Mama, I'm as frightened as a girl with a secret can be". It's all rather sweetly delivered, and in this way Mckeown's songs often belie their murky subject matter.
The cover of You Mustn't Kick It Around is a clever inclusion, offering some light relief at the half way point. Not to say that the album is heavy or depressive. It's music perfect for a sunny day, or a day in bed, or most any other time really. While musically it never deviates too far from it's country and folk origins, it remains fresh-sounding throughout. I've heard it said that Mckeown's voice is grating and flat. I won't have any of this. To my ears her voice is engaging and bright and likeable. The musicians who contribute here are all talented. In particular the drumming on Distillation, when it's there, lends a vibrancy to the album. Mckeown's certainly no slouch on the guitar either. Joni Mitchell she may not be, but she sure does a good Django.
I can't recommend Erin Mckeown enough. There's nothing not to like here, or indeed on her other releases. This or Grand would both make excellent first purchases. Both contain endearing, playful, thinking-person's pop.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Upbeat and Melancholy
I'd never heard of McKeown until my friend Liz (a complete 5-star friend) gave me this album for my birthday in 2003. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2006 by lonpobty
Quirky, eclectic, brilliant.
This album is brilliant! A mix of country, blues, folk, rock and jazz, as such it cannot be shoehorned into any distinct category. Read more
Published on 13 Sep 2006 by David Powell
completely lovely!
This is one of the best, most unique albums I've heard in ages...beautiful, sad, jazzy, tapping-your-feet stuff. buy it!
Published on 25 Mar 2002
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