The soul soothing sultry vocal style of Brigitte DeMeyer has long been a favourite here and her latest album release SEEKER does nothing to diminish the mantle that she parades on. Once again it's collaboration that flourishes at the heart of an album with on this occasion trading Will Kimbrough for Jano Rix of the Wood Brothers as a key person to work with. A further decision has been to ditch her own instruments on this record and give the vocals extra impetus to meld with a soundtrack that ebbs and flows with a mix of southern coolness and quirkiness.
The circumstances surrounding this album release are encapsulated on the cover with DeMeyer reversing her original musical voyage and heading back west to California from a steady and fruitful stint in the southern states. Of course no journey back home is complete without a detour to the Bayou and a full on tribute to her passion for New Orleans in the simply titled track 'Louisiana'.
On SEEKER Brigitte DeMeyer digs deep into her songwriter reservoir to pen the lyrics to ten songs that echo with personal feeling and reflect where she is in 2021. This is believed to be San Francisco as evidenced in the final track 'Roots and Wings and Bones' which references the location in the pseudonym 'starry city'. Elsewhere lyrically, 'Already In' is a love song for her husband and album opener 'All the Blue' takes issue with the class of southern folk from the wealthy elite who hold others in contempt and go by the name 'High Cotton'. Despite the sincerity of the message, it is the soulfulness of her voice that breaks out from the first track to let you know that the magnitude of her two previous releases SAVANNAH ROAD and MOCKINGBIRD SOUL is being built upon.
Without the need to linger too much on comparisons, SEEKER soars on its own merits highlighted in the the punchy blues effort 'Cat Man Do' and the jazz-like vibes to 'Ain't No Mister'. You should now get the picture that Brigitte DeMeyer flourishes right across the roots spectrum, with the slightly folkier anthem number 'Wishbone' proving a focal point for the album's latter stages.
Chuck in the title track 'Seeker' where there is still a yearning for the part of the country that proved so beneficial to her musical calling, and the thoughtful 'Salt of the Earth' where deep feeling connection is sought, and you are nearly there. A straight up protest song 'Calamity Gone' eventually completes a set of Brigitte DeMeyer tunes that keep her on the radar of folks besotted with a vocal style that merges spirit with a gutful elegance. Her partnership with Jano Rix, who produced the record and added by far the most influential instrumental content, has proved a winner.
A few years ago she visited the Worcestershire town of Bewdley with Will Kimbrough to light up the Severn with some southern joy. Is it too much to expect a return rendevouz with her new collaborator? Probably a long shot, but hey SEEKER will do just fine for now.