There is a school of thought that music should only be
classified into two types; good and bad or that which you like and that which
you don’t. However for those genre junkies out there, here’s a new one to throw
into the mix. Take the sincerity of country, the classical interpretation of
folk, add a touch of the resolute realism of urban rock, sprinkle the
minimalist approach of roots music and the result is a new genre hypothetically
unveiled as ‘Urban Twang’. This is the perfect classification for those who
consider the singer-songwriter genre to be too simplistic and Americana one too
vague.
While the opening gambit of this review can be construed as
a touch pretentious, all the factors indicated are the essential ingredients in
the new album ONLY DAUGHTER from New York based singer-songwriter Rebecca
Pronsky. This is her third release under the Nine Mile Records label and one
that she can be very proud of. Coming quite quickly after 2011’s VIEWFINDER,
Rebecca has continued to hit the mark with an impressive outpouring of her
creative talents across the ten tracks that form the record.
These talents include the song writing credits for all but
one of the songs on the album. The odd one out being a number originally
written and performed by fellow American artist Mark Kozelek and given the
curious title ‘Glenn Tipton’. On the
surface this profound song seems to have little connection with the Judas Priest
band member named in the title but is a much analysed piece online and Rebecca’s
rendition is a highly commendable version of a heavily folk inspired song.
With analysis of the cover out of the way, attention turns
to the wealth of self penned songs that give the album vitality and strength.
The rousing ‘Rise Up’ with its
protest connotations gets the album off to the perfect start before leading
into the melodic ‘Honesty’ that
continues the infectious beat to carry the momentum forward. Fellow New York
artists, the mother and daughter duo Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche add
vocals to ‘Better That way’ a song
enhanced by the subtle banjo touches that adorn the opening number as well.
Rebecca’s husband, Rich Bennett, is one of the driving
forces behind the album, combining guitar, keyboard and ukulele input with the production
duties. The essential pedal steel is provided by guest musician Mike Nolan
adding a hint of twang to ‘Glenn Tipton’
and ‘Honesty’, while the permanent
band’s engine room is steered by Dan Shuman on bass and Russ Meissner on
percussion.
In addition to her acoustic guitar and lyrical contribution,
Rebecca’s vocals grace each track in true unmistakable Americana style effortlessly switching between the jaunty numbers and the slower ones such as the dreamy ‘Come Down’. This perfectly supplements the rock inspired song ‘The Garden’
where the production steps up a notch from the more minimal roots tunes.
The highlights of this first class album are a toss-up
between the inspiring ‘Rise Up’ and
the jolly show-closing ditty ‘Please
Forget Me’ with its upbeat feel reminiscent of that nostalgic Broadway
sound. In truth there isn't a bad track on the album, which will neatly fit into an economical half hour gap in our busy lives and will surely be the
centrepiece when Rebecca returns to the UK for some shows in March.
If the hypothetical ‘Urban Twang’ is going evolve as a genre
let’s add Rebecca Pronsky to some of the
founding members such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Gretchen Peters, Justin Townes
Earle and Nell Bryden to name but a few highly respected and influential
artists. Grand company I’m sure you would agree but ONLY DAUGHTER confirms
Rebecca Pronsky’s place alongside these performers.
