Shawn Mullins - "9th Ward Pickin' Parlor"
(Vanguard, 2006)
Hear the music:
Shawn Mullins - "Cold Black Heart"
Note: The above mp3 is here courtesy of Vanguard Records. It will be removed from this site in two weeks, and is here to encourage you to visit http://www.shawnmullins.com, where you can purchase the entire album if you find his music appealing. Support indie artists by purchasing their work -- and help prove our generation's more than a bunch of thieves.
There's something to be said for returning to one's roots. Shawn Mullins had recorded seven solid folk records before releasing Soul's Core on Columbia in 1998. Suddenly "Lullabye," the spoken-word song that rocketed to fame, became synonymous with "Shawn Mullins" and it obscured the fact that Soul's Core was really the eighth record from an accomplished folk musician.
Instead of letting him follow it up with a ninth, Columbia had him release his "sophomore" album in 2000 with an aim toward radio pop, hoping to find a new "Lullabye." When the album flopped, he fell off the face of the earth. Thankfully he's found a new home at Vanguard, and 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor, recorded in New Orleans' ninth ward in the months before Hurricane Katrina, is his finest record since Eggshells.
9th Ward Pickin' Parlor is full of gems. "Cold Black Heart" revives the classic murder ballad, reconstituted in the form of an uptempo celtic melody supported by Mullins' impressive performance on Charango, an Andean banjo. "Solitaire" is a bare-bones acoustic melody that blends Norah Jones jazz vocals with a very Chris Thile-influenced picking style. This is an album where no song sounds alike -- which makes the complete listening experience all the more rewarding.
What would have hurt Mullins had he remained on Columbia -- the lack of singles -- is actually a benefit here. 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor is an album-lover's disc, a release that rewards the listener for sitting back and enjoying the entire entire thing in one sitting. While there are standout tracks, like the Black Crowes influenced "Faith" or Mullins' civil-war-meets-Iraq-war ballad "Lay Down Your Swords, Boys," you likely won't hear any of them on the radio any time soon.
All of which is perfectly acceptable, since Mullins has clearly rediscovered his muse on this album. His latest effort is liable to float under the radar of most listeners, but those who enjoyed Soul's Core beyond the initial singles are sure to find this album worth a purchase. Even for the uninitiated it serves as an impressive folk album on its own merit. Let's just hope he won't take another six years to follow it up with more.
Hear the music:
Shawn Mullins - "Cold Black Heart"
Note: The above mp3 is here courtesy of Vanguard Records. It will be removed from this site in two weeks, and is here to encourage you to visit http://www.shawnmullins.com, where you can purchase the entire album if you find his music appealing. Support indie artists by purchasing their work -- and help prove our generation's more than a bunch of thieves.
There's something to be said for returning to one's roots. Shawn Mullins had recorded seven solid folk records before releasing Soul's Core on Columbia in 1998. Suddenly "Lullabye," the spoken-word song that rocketed to fame, became synonymous with "Shawn Mullins" and it obscured the fact that Soul's Core was really the eighth record from an accomplished folk musician.
Instead of letting him follow it up with a ninth, Columbia had him release his "sophomore" album in 2000 with an aim toward radio pop, hoping to find a new "Lullabye." When the album flopped, he fell off the face of the earth. Thankfully he's found a new home at Vanguard, and 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor, recorded in New Orleans' ninth ward in the months before Hurricane Katrina, is his finest record since Eggshells.
9th Ward Pickin' Parlor is full of gems. "Cold Black Heart" revives the classic murder ballad, reconstituted in the form of an uptempo celtic melody supported by Mullins' impressive performance on Charango, an Andean banjo. "Solitaire" is a bare-bones acoustic melody that blends Norah Jones jazz vocals with a very Chris Thile-influenced picking style. This is an album where no song sounds alike -- which makes the complete listening experience all the more rewarding.
What would have hurt Mullins had he remained on Columbia -- the lack of singles -- is actually a benefit here. 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor is an album-lover's disc, a release that rewards the listener for sitting back and enjoying the entire entire thing in one sitting. While there are standout tracks, like the Black Crowes influenced "Faith" or Mullins' civil-war-meets-Iraq-war ballad "Lay Down Your Swords, Boys," you likely won't hear any of them on the radio any time soon.
All of which is perfectly acceptable, since Mullins has clearly rediscovered his muse on this album. His latest effort is liable to float under the radar of most listeners, but those who enjoyed Soul's Core beyond the initial singles are sure to find this album worth a purchase. Even for the uninitiated it serves as an impressive folk album on its own merit. Let's just hope he won't take another six years to follow it up with more.
posted by Jonathan Sanders @ 2:07 AM
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