They may
have been treading familiar ground, but any traces of complacency burnt away on
a mild Bonfire night. Earlier this year Kim Richey and Ben Glover played their
own shows at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham. Any lingering doubts about the viability
of re-booking so soon withered away as a healthy turnout instantly switched on
to the fact that they made a wise Monday evening choice. From the opening bars
of each performer’s first song, defining molds were set. ‘Thorn in My Heart’ oozes the absolute class that has kept Kim
Richey at the heart of definitive Nashville song writing for well over two
decades, while the gritty underbelly of ‘Catbird
Seat’ shines a fascinating light on Ben Glover’s increasing eminence of being
an acclaimed source of deep rooted songs without compromise.Comparisons and contrasts ran amok during this near two-hour show, which steered clear of a formulaic slant that can prevail when two independents collude. Harmonies, support vocals, joint playing, solo spots and a plain old duet all featured across of a pair of sets starting in rotation before meandering into slightly random territory. The duet came in the form of ‘Dancing with the Beast’, a Ben co-write with Gretchen Peters, adding a third looming figure on the evening, in spirit maybe. You can even add a fourth in the guise of Mary Gauthier, who worked so diligently with Ben in pumping life into ‘Catbird…’ and the rugged homage to Robert Johnson in ‘Oh Soul’, a standout candidate on the evening. It was fitting that all four artists were over here playing UK shows in May/June and key figures in a vibrant Nashville songwriting scene.
Both Kim
and Ben are the architects of exceptional solo albums released this year.
EDGELAND has surfaced as Kim Richey’s most acclaimed record in years, as
evidenced by boundless critical praise. Songs such as ‘Pin a Rose’, ‘Chase Wild
Horses’ and ‘Your Dear John’
reveal a dedicated poise and sophistication. Even ‘Whistle on Occasion’ brimmed with sparkle as Ben stepped into Chuck
Prophet’s shoes admirably. One surefire success on the collaboration front was
always going to be ‘Ride the River’,
one of the earworm standout tracks from Ben’s latest record SHOREBOUND.
Moments were
also precious when each artist gave the other total space to deliver the immaculate
individualistic song. ‘Kindness’ saw
Ben conjure up some idealistic romanticism and perhaps set an agenda for many
to follow. ‘A Place Called Home’
projected Kim Richey at her finest and possibly own the show’s Champagne three
minutes.
As you
would expect from two singer-songwriters sparking off each other, stories
flowed freely, though never suffocating the song. The TV show Grey's Anatomy
may be a little more palatable knowing the beautiful Kim Richey song ‘The Absence of Your Company’ featured,
while how can any Ben Glover show not celebrate the innovation of his Orphan
Brigade project and the haunting tones of ‘Trouble My Mind (Oh
Harriet)’.
A Nashville
citizen by residency will always align with Ben Glover - the proud Northern
Irishman from Co. Antrim, as long as songs like ‘Heart in Your Hand’ focus on the life changing process of
emigration, a songwriting thread for a number of years. In contrast, there is
an air of consistency around the work of Kim Richey with ‘Wreck Your Wheels’ sounding as sweet as when the album of the same
name came out in 2010.
The final
two songs from the sets to spice this review went a long way to framing the
show. Song writing will never lose its fascination as long as compositions like
‘Blackbirds’ evolve from the depths of
god knows where, through the pen to the vibes of a prominent track. Any Ben
Glover/Gretchen Peters co-write is likely to simmer, bubble and permeate the psyche
of a songwriting junkie for a long time. The night’s finale of ‘The Parting Glass’ was fairly standard in selection, but forever faultless
in an unplugged exhibition of the beauty and the rugged.
The union of Kim Richey and Ben Glover was a rare treat, perfectly highlighting the 365 interaction of the Kitchen Garden and the wonderful songwriters that grace its surroundings.
www.kimrichey.com
www.benglover.co.uk