07/01/2008

Waifs

SunDirtWater

(Compass)

www.Compassrecords.com

 

No white winged doves, the women comprising two-thirds of Australia’s Waifs don’t indulge in faerie princess fantasy. “Give me sun, give me dirt, give me water,” sings Vicki Thorn in the title cut. Thorn’s sister, Donna Simpson, sings in “Vermilion” of their “pa as drunk as a bar room rag” and a mother who “died with the flowers in the hall.” Despite their antipodean origin there is something almost Midwestern, plain, in the finest sense, about these remarkably capable women and their soulfully funky folk music; nothing frail or dependent about them. Guitarist John Cunningham, writing many of the tunes—notably the infectious opener “Pony”—and singing lead on “Eternity,” is a fully contributing third partner. But it’s the women, with spiritual godmothers and sisters ranging from Odetta to Roseanne Cash and Toshi Regon, who make this early candidate for anyone’s “year’s best” list shine like a diamond in the desert.

 

Standout Tracks: “Pony” “Vermillion” RICK ALLEN


Browse / View All
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Recent Reviews
Feels Like the Third Time by Freakwater
05/25/2012
Live at Rockpalast by Ian Hunter Band featuring Mick Ronson
05/25/2012
Neon City by Johnny Bertram and the Golden Bicycles
05/24/2012
Amateur by Garrison Starr
05/24/2012
Marvin Country! by Marvin Etzioni
05/24/2012
Neck of the Woods by Silversun Pickups
05/23/2012
Elemental Journey by Sonny Landreth
05/23/2012
Night and Day by Andre Williams & The Sadies
05/23/2012
Aquatic Hitchhiker by Leftover Salmon
05/22/2012
Choice of Weapon by The Cult
05/22/2012
No One Knows What Happens Next by Hallelujah the Hills
05/22/2012
The Body Wins by Sarah Jaffe
05/21/2012
The Last Donkey Show by John Wesley Coleman
05/21/2012
Pop War by Imperial State Electric
05/21/2012
Canibalismo by Chicha Libre
05/18/2012
Bloom by Beach House
05/18/2012
Live at the Moody Theater by Warren Haynes Band
05/18/2012
Look Around The Corner + The Best of Quantic by Quantic & Alice Russell
05/17/2012
What is the Meaning of What by Turing Machine
05/17/2012