One of the delights for touring American artists is the opportunity
to play in some of the increasingly quirky venues that are beginning to host
live music on an intimate basis. You can now add to this list the rather
splendid Henry Tudor House in Shrewsbury which no doubt pre-dates the European
discovery of the New World and proved a popular stopping off point for Carrie
Rodriguez on her latest tour of these isles. The decision to go head to head
with the town’s popular folk festival on a Bank Holiday weekend didn’t deter
the organisers and a sell out audience fully justified the decision to embrace
the talents of an artist bestowed with immense beauty, vocal, fiddle playing
and song writing ability. 
There is surely no finer fiddle player on the Americana
circuit than Texan born and bred Carrie, although Amanda Shires and Kendel
Carson run her close, and even when she occasionally picks up the guitar you
get the feeling that this is a mere interlude until the fiddle returns. The
interaction with Luke whether on electric, acoustic, harmonica or lap steel, is
an endearing quality of their show of which you can throw into the mix a range
of top songs comprising both originals and well-interpreted covers. The latter
included the sublime John Prine track ‘Unwed
Fathers’ and the song which catapulted Tammy Wynette to the top of the
charts ‘I Don’t Want to Play House’.
To have a stand out album track enhanced with a live
performance is no mean feat but Carrie and Luke pulled that off with ‘Lake
Harriet’ from the latest record. Also from this release ‘Sad Joy’ came across well, as Carrie introduced it with a heart
warming story of an encounter at a Ray Lamontagne concert. The impressive vocals
of Carrie exude class into the songs and when Luke stepped forward to sing an
original titled ‘Margarit’ which put
a little bit of country into the opera, he displayed a talent that had been
hidden away on their previous UK visit. The pair also previewed a first airing
of a new song potentially titled ‘Trouble’
which looks set to feature on a new release in the future.
The appreciative crowd in this elegant music room housed in
the loft space of this historic building thoroughly enjoyed the two-set show
and those who were previously aware of Carrie could sample a spread of music
from across a number of her albums. The 2006 SEVEN ANGELS ON A BICYCLE proved a
popular source for songs including the Mary Gauthier co-write ‘Absence’ and the title track inspired by
the loss of a close friend. Regardless of the material, Carrie is blossoming as
a performer and the inventive way she interprets country, roots and Americana
music is a joy to behold.
Long may venues such as the Henry Tudor House spring up to host
a style of music which will no doubt remain undiscovered to the masses but still
retain a breathtaking quality to treasure and nurture carefully. Carrie Rodriguez is a valuable and established
member of this scene and it is of sincere hope that many more people will enjoy
her continued visits in the future.
