Shawn Colvin on Nonesuch? You could've pushed me over with a feather. I had no idea what to expect from her most recent album. Would it be an orchestral, symphonic statement of artistic purpose and reflection? A strange, avant-garde collection of acoustic weirdnesses? A bare, stripped back story-album? All of the above?
Well, no. Any fears that Ms. Colvin has strayed from her roots were allayed by a simple phrase on the back of the CD jacket: “Produced by John Leventhal.” Whew. That was close. Leventhal has been Colvin's producer for the past 20 or so years; he brought us gems like “Round of Blues,” “Tennessee,” and “Sunny Came Home.” Colvin's gift for smart, simple folk/pop songs, although dormant for the past few years, is back in full force. Perhaps there is a bit of a country tinge to this record (see the fiddles on the title track, for example), but that doesn't bother me. For every fiddle is a mid-tempo rocker like “Let It Slide,” a song that retains an even keel for the first verse until it busts through to the chorus (in which Colvin harmonizes with Teddy Thompson, Richard's son.) While the record is a bit more acoustically-oriented than my favorite Colvin releases of the past, Leventhal isn't afraid to drag out the electric guitar on tracks like “The Bird.”
And how about the voice? Coy, playful, and sexy, Shawn Colvin has a set of pipes on her that she's never been afraid to use. Age has only improved things. Although she sounds like a pixie more often than not, her fake-macho tone on “Tuff Kid” is a welcome, humorous, and slightly self-deprecating move. She isn't afraid to have some fun here, which is a welcome sign coming from someone on such a serious label.
“These Four Walls” doesn't knock me off my feet on first listen. Like most great albums, it takes awhile to get into. However, after a few runs on iTunes, I found myself humming Ms. Colvin's melodies. That makes my unfounded fears worth it. |