Visions
Know Howe, 2019
8/10
Although this is Alice Howe’s first album, you certainly wouldn’t know it based on the strength of the songs here and her commanding, comforting vocals that guide tunes influenced by ‘60s and ‘70s folk music.
“Twilight” starts out the listen with a bright country/folk tune where Howe’s strong pipes soar, and “Lovin’ In My Baby’s Eyes”(Taj Mahal) follows with plenty of pop influence in the romantic tune. Elsewhere, “Still On My Mind” brings us closer to country sounds, while “Bring It On Him” is an emotive and restrained moment of warm beauty.
The back half of the listen brings us the lush “Too Long At The Fair”, and the soulful “Honey Bee”, both of which are meticulously executed, and near the end “You Just Never Know” offers some twang in the pretty tune. Howe ends the listen with Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”, where the classic track becomes sparse and far less rugged in Howe’s gorgeous vision.
Howe is accompanied by Freebo, who also produced the album and co-wrote some of the tunes, on many tracks, and together they take nods to the early days of folk sounds as well as incorporating modern ideas into this easily enjoyable and often uplifting debut record.
Travels well with: Mindy Gledhill- Anchor;Erin McKeown- Manifestra