Songs From The Open Road
Self-Released, 2019
8/10
Listen to Songs From The Open Road
The veteran singer-songwriter Courtney Yasmineh has had an impressive career, and on this 9th album she offers us covers of tunes that have shaped her humble and forthright journey into life as a musician that began after leaving home at just 17.
The 12 track record leads with “Running From Mercy”, where Yamineh’s soft, strummed guitar suits her pretty, poetic vocals that possess an inimitable grit, and “Trouble In The Fields” follows with a timeless folk spirit where Yasmineh’s storytelling unfolds with a soulful approach.
Further along, “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” is a soft and sweet 3 minutes of warm melodies, while “Goin’ Back To Harlan” gets a bit more forceful and darker as strategic drums add much to the cautious climate. “The Times They Are A-Changin’” only makes sense to appear here as the songstress certainly takes influence from Bob Dylan, and she turns in a powerful interpretation of the classic.
As we near the end, “Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness” is a bare and eloquent display of timeless appeal, and “Hallelujah” exits the listen with a very expressive delivery that just might be the most stirring version of the Cohen tune yet.
Now 5 decades into her craft as a songwriter, Yasmineh is also a mother of 3 and more recently an author. She’s lived most of her life in Minnesota, and her work sounds right at home alongside The Jayhawks, Haley Bonar or even Paul Westerberg, and that could never be a bad thing.
Travels well with: Haley- Pleasureland; The Jayhawks- XOXO