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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Wedding Song |
| 2. Epic (Part I) |
| 3. Way Down Hadestown |
| 4. Songbird Intro |
| 5. Hey, Little Songbird |
| 6. Gone, I'm Gone |
| 7. When The Chips Are Down |
| 8. Wait For Me |
| 9. Why We Build The Wall |
| 10. Our Lady Of The Underground |
| 11. Flowers (Eurydice's Song) |
| 12. Nothing Changes |
| 13. If It's True |
| 14. Papers (Hades Finds Out) |
| 15. How Long? |
| 16. Epic (Part II) |
| 17. Lover's Desire |
| 18. His Kiss The Riot |
| 19. Doubt Comes In |
| 20. I Raise My Cup To Him |
Product Description
Review
This is partly down to the amount of time and energy that has been lavished on it, as the beautifully designed CD sleeve suggests; so much for public arts funding. Hadestown began evolving in 2006 as a stage show, which Mitchell road-tested with a 22-member cast. She also recorded one of the songs on her 2007 album The Brightness. Originally called Hades & Persephone, and performed solo by Mitchell, it’s here retitled How Long? and is a sung dialogue between Ani DiFranco (Persephone) and Greg Brown (Hades), with strings, piano and atmospheric percussion.
Mitchell’s sugar-coated, girlish vocals won’t appeal to all, and initially distract from her considerable talents as a lyricist (“The river Styx was a river of stones”), so the use of a distinguished and well chosen cast to sing the various parts is a plus. And while Brown’s creaky baritone is another acquired taste, he does make a convincing Hades. The unmistakeable falsetto of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon (Orpheus), and Ben Knox Miller of The Low Anthem (Hermes) are definite assets, and even the usually annoying DiFranco is well cast as Persephone.
Like most operas, the plot is fairly opaque and more or less an empty vehicle for voices, so Mitchell’s mixing of contemporary and historical settings with one of the many original versions of Orpheus isn’t a problem – there’s clearly a narrative, even if it isn’t easy to follow. It’s the fine and varied arrangements by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, and Mitchell’s memorable melodies that hold things together.
In a Vaudevillian manner, she plunders a wide array of idioms, ranging from traditional American folk (Wedding Song seems to draw on Mockingbird) through Tom Waits mannerisms, country, gospel, jazz, chamber music, and the Penguin-Cafe-Orchestra-goes-to-India vibe of the instrumental Lover’s Desire. It all makes sense eventually. Kind of. --Jon Lusk
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CD Description
Based upon the ancient Greek myth of the poet Orpheus and his doomed quest to rescue his wife Eurydice from the underworld, Hadestown evokes an American depression-era past, the global financial troubles leading into 2010 (though it was written before the stock market collapse), and a post-apocalyptic future.
Anaïs, who sings the part of Eurydice, the character whose (metaphoric) death propels Orpheus into "Hadestown" is joined by a veritable Who's Who of modern indie folk and rock on the release. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver plays Orpheus; Greg Brown is Hades, Lord of the Underworld ("king of the kingdom of dirt"); Ani DiFranco plays Hades' strong-willed, subversive wife, Persephone; the Haden Triplets (Petra, Rachel, and Tanya) are the Greek chorus-like Fates and Ben Knox Miller of The Low Anthem is the messenger Hermes. Together, they create a world where people hide behind walls in a misguided attempt to preserve their "freedom" and protect their riches.
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Customer Reviews
So who is in the cast list of this vast folk opera? Ladies and Gentleman we have -
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) as Orpheus
Greg Brown as Hades,
Ben Knox Miller (The Low Anthem) as Hermes,
Ani DiFranco as Persephone,
Anais Mitchell herself in the role of Eurydice
Unsurprisingly each shines brightly particularly Greg Brown who brings a Tom Waits like granite quality to the album and overall it is a mighty collaboration from a range of musicians who are at the top of their game. Highlights on a very long album include the sparkling opener "Wedding song" a duet between Mitchell and Vernon which is just beautiful and very accessible. Mitchell's voice clearly will lead to some comparisons with Joanna Newsom but is has its distinctive edge and the standard of her song writing throughout is first class. "Our Lady of the Underground" is a sassy tale of Dr John Style jazz with a great vocal supplied by Ani DiFranco and "Wait for me" with Ben Knox Miller a true highlight with Miller's quite sinister spoken vocal introduction confirming the Tom Waits direction which the Low Anthem followed on one of the best albums of 2009 "Oh My God Charlie Darwin". Miller appears again on the wonderful duet with Mitchell on the gospel based "Way down in Hadestown" with a trumpet solo straight out of Jungle book, and in a similar vein the Hades Triplets "When the chips are town" is as catchy as hay fever from a ploughed wheat field.
The star however throughout is Anais Mitchell with her "Eurydice" a potential classic. It is a piano slow ballad with her lush vocal and a playful violin making this both sweet but very poignant. I mentioned Greg Brown's role earlier and he is a revelation. "Hey Little Songbird" is a bluesy highlight and his "Hades" is totally believable. Finally full marks should go to the great ending of the album with a deep and ominous cello leading into the mournful "Doubt comes in" combining a vocal from Vernon and Michael Corney's arrangements which are Mitchell's secret weapon throughout. While finally I doubt a more sumptuous duet will be heard on any album this year than the lovely closer "I raise my cup to him" with Ani DiFranco again providing a sterling counterpoint to the lighter voice of Mitchell. This has been a difficult review to write of an album packed with highlights and with an intriguing conceptual basis. Space precludes touching on more that 50% of the goodies contained within and like Natalie Merchants recent epic "Leave your sleep" it will take time to fully reveal itself, but also like that album it is a concept that could have fallen flat but actually works brilliantly and is delivered with real verve. The consequence of all this it at following the huge earlier promise shown on albums like "The Brightness", Anais Mitchell enters stage door left as a new and immense force on the music scene.
Enlisting a fantastic cast of distinctive voices has certainly made a difference, and it also helps that Ms Mitchell, when she applies her own voice, does so with touching grace and delicacy, and does so on songs that suit her vocal style. Everyone else gets their moments, as well, especially Ani DiFranco, who channels Mae West in "Our Lady of the Underground". There's also the stirring call-and-response of "Why We Build the Wall" with Greg Brown's growling voice lending a beautiful gravitas, the Haden Triplets' breathtaking harmonies on all their songs and even some gorgeous Brian Wilson-like "la la la"s (to use a technical term) make an appearance. This album is chock full of glorious moments, so many that it's almost impossible, actually, to pick them out. By the time the album fades out with the sad, resigned and heartbreaking "I Raise My Cup to Him" I was almost in tears.
It's thrilling to find an album that draws on so many styles and influences and yet still manages to come up with something this fresh, this beautiful and this soulful. It is, for me, in a year of disappointments (when my expected big hitters are either doing covers or going all synth-pop) one of my favourite albums of the year, by many a mile. Even if you find Anais Mitchell not to your taste, you owe it to your music collection, not to mention your faith in music, to buy this album.
I read many of the reviews but decided a folk-opera based on Greek myths didn't sound like my kind of thing. Further, I don't really like Mitchell's squeaky Kate Bush-like voice.
I was very wrong.
This album is unlike anything I've heard before: you can't say to someone 'if you like so-and-so, you'll like this'. It is the albums very originality that is breathtaking. That said, there are echoes of Tom Waits, Dr John, Bon Iver, Joanna Newsom, Randy Newman and Bertold Brecht.
The songs are fabulous and gloriously arranged - some you feel you've known all your life.
In 'Why We Build The Wall' the album has the best song I've heard since.........? - a parable of ancient myth and modern political statement.
In all the album is a miracle, an utter joy which I feel would have a large public if only people got to hear it.
Give it a chance
Wonderfully played, sang and produced and once in my player it has to be played in its... Read more
Her song writing is artistic, poetic, imaginative, thought prevoking, theatrical and extremely entertaining. Read more
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