Ida
(Polyvinyl)
Opening with a droning pump organ and a gently strummed guitar, I feel like I've heard this Ida record before. Songs move slowly, with spare and repetitive accompaniment. Then the band starts singing. Ida - in particular Dan Littleton, Elizabeth Mitchell and Karla Schickele - are like a modern day version of the Carter Family or the Mamas and the Papas: When they harmonize, the effect is overwhelming. If the backdrops sound similar to much of their back catalog, those voices make sure that the familiarity never becomes routine.
Coming just a few months after the full-length Lovers Prayers, the seven tracks on My Fair, My Dark came from those sessions, played in between the main album's selections. Thus, along with a few originals, the band melts hearts with covers of Dolly Parton ("The Pain of Loving You"), Anne Briggs ("Time Has Come") and John Martyn ("Road to Ruin"). Levon Helm joins them on the live "Late Blues" but you'd never know it since he blends into their sound so smoothly.
Sure, the songs might sound familiar, but longtime fans will eat the sound up and newcomers will be smitten by what they hear.
Standout Tracks: "Don't Wreck It," "The Pain of Loving You" MIKE SHANLEY
