Respond II
In 1999 the Signature Sounds label released a compilation of Boston-area female singer-songwriters entitledRespondto help raise money for RESPOND, inc. and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, two groups devoted to ending domestic violence.Respond II, the follow-up to that project, expands on the folk orientation of its predecessor by including rock, blues, gospel, jazz, country, and world music performers. Most of the tracks here--such asSuzanne Vega's "Luka,"Bebel Gilberto's "Sem Contenção," andDolly Parton's "Endless Stream of Tears"--are drawn from previously released CDs, but a handful, includingJulie Miller's twangy "Too Many Troubles,"Tracy Bonham's haunting "I'm No Giant," and theIndigo Girls' acoustic version of "She's Saving Me" appear here for the first time. The music onRespond IIis eclectic, but the songs have been chosen with great care. By focusing on the heart of the music rather than just the genre, this compilation takes seemingly disparate elements like the brash punk rock ofSleater-Kinney, the lonesome country ofNeko Case, and the soulful gospel sound ofSweet Honey in the Rockand weaves them into sonic pattern that is cohesive, complex, and altogether compelling.--Michael Simmons