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Roadside Saints by Zoe Mulford
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fave it Modern Folk | like Joni
12 tracks | 50 minutes
Released Apr 2006
on Azalea City Recordings
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:42 Elegy (Crystal Glass) lyrics BUY MP3 04:42 Elegy (Crystal Glass) lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:42 Elegy (Crystal Glass)
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:25 Gonna Wear Red lyrics BUY MP3 03:25 Gonna Wear Red lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:25 Gonna Wear Red
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:39 Our Lady of the Highways lyrics BUY MP3 04:39 Our Lady of the Highways lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:39 Our Lady of the Highways
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:29 The American Wake lyrics BUY MP3 05:29 The American Wake lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:29 The American Wake
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:56 Nobody Knocking lyrics BUY MP3 02:56 Nobody Knocking lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:56 Nobody Knocking
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:09 Gone is Gone lyrics FREE 03:09 Gone is Gone lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:09 Gone is Gone
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:00 Those Boys lyrics BUY MP3 05:00 Those Boys lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:00 Those Boys
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:15 The Angel in the Storm lyrics BUY MP3 06:15 The Angel in the Storm lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:15 The Angel in the Storm
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:51 Blues for Two lyrics BUY MP3 03:51 Blues for Two lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:51 Blues for Two
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:09 Stock lyrics BUY MP3 03:09 Stock lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:09 Stock
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:34 Stone Song lyrics BUY MP3 04:34 Stone Song lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:34 Stone Song
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:21 The Earth & the Sky lyrics BUY MP3 03:21 The Earth & the Sky lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:21 The Earth & the Sky
Spellbinding lyrics and compelling stories from an award-winning contemporary folk magician
Bio / Background
Zoe Mulford’s second album has fulfilled promise of her first, with a vengeance. As a first album for a singer-songwriter in the folk vein, “Traveling Moon” had all the elements one would normally describe as “promising”. The songs are well crafted, extremely listenable, with a couple of natural standouts – the wry “If I Had a Cello” the instant anthem “Life is Too Short to Fold Underwear” – and an originality overall that boded well for things to come. In hindsight however, only the enigmatic “The Street that Wasn’t There” gave any hint of the giant leap she had brewing.
With “Roadside Saints”, Zoe Mulford has joined the elite group of singer- songwriters whose songs are able to make the elusive leap from the individual to the universal and, even more elusive, to bring the listener with her when she leaps.
↓ more ↓“Elegy”, the opener, on the surface a story about glassware (yes, glassware), looks mortality in the face through the family crystal and drinks a quiet toast to the reaper over breakfast. “Blues for Two” pokes fun at the harm love does to all concerned and consoles itself that at least we don’t have to suffer alone. “Our Lady of the Highway”, the collection’s monster hit (you heard it here) turns a Maryland roadside shrine into a weary blessing for all wandering humanity (just try not singing along when the chorus comes back around).
Each song has its unique voice, invoking a myriad of styles. At first listen, in fact, the album could easily be taken for a collection of traditional songs from a handful of genres: the quietly cold-blooded “Nobody Knocking” with its sparse, Appalachian edge, the boisterous Celtic gaiety of “American Wake”, the world music tempos of “Stone Song”. The glue that holds this heady soup together is the voice and presence of the singer, which is surprisingly comfortable in her closetful of varied costumes.
John Jennings’ skillful production hits the “not too much, not too little” bulls eye and invariably support the songs. An ensemble cast of supporting instruments- Rosie Shipley’s violin, Pat Wictor’s slide guitar, Cheryl Prashker’s percussion, Zoe’s brother Toby’s bass – each make their contribution, as does the producer with a tasteful touch of keyboards. But what comes through in every track is the voice of the artist, a voice I suspect a lot of people are going to be hearing very soon. The first time Zoe Mulford listener is in for a pleasant surprise, as are fans of her first album, by how far she has come in so short a time. There is an optimism in these songs (“I’m Gonna Wear Red”, for instance), but it is not the optimism of the naïve or self-sheltering. It’s an optimism we can all share and very badly need just about now.
- Charles Nolan
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