Songs From the Gutter
This isn't your older sister's folk music. Though Thea Gilmore's flair for poetic imagery and the lilt of her phrasing place her within the troubadour tradition, the rock dynamics of her raw, edgy band, augmented by the occasional rhythm loop, suggest a more contemporary appeal to the young British artist's generation. While paying homage toBob Dylanwith an atmospheric reading of "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" and toBruce Springsteenwith a bonus version of "Cover Me," she sounds more likeAlanis Morissetteon the album-opening "Down to Nowhere" and rocks with the hard-bitten bravura ofChrissie Hyndeon "When Did You Get So Safe?" and "Lip Reading." A hypnotic, meditative pulse provides the perfect complement to the stark lyric of "The Dirt Is Your Lover Now," while the rootsy Americana of "Mud on My Shoes" finds Gilmore in a more playful mood. In addition to the two bonus tracks added to the "official" ten-track release, Gilmore offers an 11-song second disc, a grab-bag of rarities and limited-edition releases.--Don McLeese