Bittersweet country rock ballads from the pride of Baltimore
Sadly, you can count the tv and programmes on one hand that showcase music for discerning adults, so it is going to be a long hard struggle on the road for someone as talented as Karyn Oliver to get the recognition she deserves. Karyn appears to have written all 13 songs herself and that will hold her in good stead, as several are very good indeed; especially Drag Your Angel Up, Heartbreak In Progress and Be With You but the best two songs on the album are the piano led tear-jerker Candy Dish and the rockier Happy Hour which both could be Tift Merritt songs if I didn’t know any better.
The subject matter is as you would expect – ‘broken love affairs’, ‘misplaced ideals’ and the perennial ‘men should know better’; but Karyn writes from the heart and makes you believe she has lived every word that she sings. On the finale Baby Don’t Speak Karyn gives him both barrels – ‘Let me whisper in your ear….let me try to make this clear…sometimes a woman just needs love…sometimes talk just ain’t enough’. I’m a bloke and I got the message loud and clear!
Red Dress is a marvelous way to launch a career in a market headed up by Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams; but Karyn Oliver certainly appears to have the voice and writing skills to ride in their slipstream until the time is right for her to take over.
Karyn Oliver - Red Dress
Karyn’s voice puts us in mind of Janis Joplin without the rasp or perhaps Lucinda Williams on steroids. We’re lucky to get her in the singer/songwriter realm. With that powerful instrument, she could be a star in the rock arena. Her voice has a swagger. She flexes its muscle in “Drag Your Angel Up,” which, lampooning male arrogance, admonishes a woman to not be too eager to put her feminine wares on display. On “How Long,” she lets it all hang out: How long ‘til you see what you lost in me… I’m surviving after all. Her voice is every bit the match for the wailing lead guitar. “How long,” indeed, before this woman is a major player on the singer/songwriter circuit?
Up-and-comer Indie singer-songwriter Karyn Oliver has not played Los Angeles yet, "but, yes," she says "I would certainly like to." Oliver, originally from Boring, Maryland, grew up in the “musically diverse culture” of Washington, D.C. As a young girl Oliver learned to play the guitar thanks to the inspiration of such artists as the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, and Carol King. She received training in classical voice and musical theatre and would write her first songs before adulthood.
Oliver, presently working out of New York, has become a noteworthy new talent in the genres of Folk, Americana and Alternative Country. Oliver is yet another talent who prefers to keep the focus on her current work. Nevertheless, one interesting aspect to her career has been hosting WLOY radio’s “The Mobtown Couch” from 2005 until recently when she relocated to New York. The weekly show not only included her live performances but also focused on the talents of new and native musicians.
“Sadly, now that I am living in New York, I can no longer host The Mobtown Couch. But WLOY goes on, and still supports local and touring acts, so please continue your support of this fantastic independent, student run station.” Oliver’s music has also been aired on radio stations both here in the US and in Europe on such stations as WRYR, Radio Crystal Blue, Moray Firth Radio, The Upper Room with Joe Kelley, and Radio Parkstad. She has also played live on and Radio Midvliet in Den Haag.
Oliver would release digital “bonuses” or “sneak previews” of songs such as “Drag Your Angel Up” and “Isn’t It Funny” in 2006. The next year (2007) Oliver would take a break from performing to release her 12-track debut disc Hurricane. It featured the lead-in “America” and the popular title track “Hurricane”.
Execs from Sennheiser honored Oliver by asking her permission to use different songs from the release “to demonstrate the quality” of Neumann microphones. Oliver also became a regular contributor to the acoustic and Americana music scene in the Baltimore-DC area especially before her more recent relocation. In fact, the past President of the Baltimore Songwriters Association remains a board member.
Oliver would continue to perform both domestically and internationally. She would even make an appearance on Maryland Public Television’s “MPT Artworks”. In 2010 shortly after a recent UK tour and a successful debut at Boston’s most popular folk venue, Club Passim Oliver would complete and release her sophomore CD Red Dress.
The 13-track album would be produced by guitarist Thomm Jutz (Nanci Griffith) who would back Oliver’s guitar and vocals with experienced Nashville musicians including: Pat McInerney on drums and percussion, Mark Fain on bass, Barry Walsh on piano and keyboards and Peter Cronin and LeAnn Etheridge on additional vocals.
The work tends to feature songs about failing relationships or stories of women in less than perfect situations. The opener is “October Day”. This one contains both a tale of one woman’s trials as well as a more universal message.
“Right Now” is the second selection. This one takes the “Critic’s Choice”. Not to be confused with the 1991 Van Halen hit song, Oliver, winner of the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and 2011 Kerrville Newfolk Contest finalist, provides longing, soulful vocals are at perhaps their sultriest here. This song also contains one of the best lines on the entire album: “You kind of smell like sin”. (Your rascally writer really needs to stop drinking because he has no memory of when Oliver got close enough to smell him.)
It’s followed by “Drag Your Angel Up” which by your crusty chronicler’s revelatory reckoning reveals a potential Catholic upbringing in Oliver’s past beyond its specific story and one of the best cuts on here. The next number is “Candy Dish”. This also has some nice lyrical moments in the midst of a tuneful tale of melancholy.
“How Long Intro” is just what it says. It’s not really a track in itself. It’s simply a false start that Oliver—who appears to have a sense of humor—probably insisted the producer keep on the work. It literally leads into the song itself, “How Long”, includes a blues guitar intro by her producer Jutz. It certainly adds some variety to the disc.
“All The More” seems to be written to a friend in need. It includes a heartfelt, kind message. It is followed by “Happy Hour” and “Cry On My Shoulder” which further demonstrate Oliver’s abilities as an artist.
“Heartbreak In Progress” and “Be With You” are two more cuts having to do with imperfect relationships or perhaps relationships that once worked but does so no longer. “June Is Leaving” is also a troublesome tune in which Oliver considers the common with her own uncommon perspective.
Oliver, who recently was part of the 2011 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase, closes the disc with another highlight, “Baby Don’t Speak”, which is a playfully flirtatious imperfect relationship song. It was even recently chosen for inclusion on the new compilation CD Love Is In The Air! 2nd Annual Valentine's Day Sampler.
While some have noted that Oliver’s point of view is often very much that of her gender, the work includes memorable music and deeply personal lyrics that anyone can appreciate regardless of any potential feminist viewpoint deep within the work. Indeed, the current album reveals a bit more life experience compared to the previous release.
Oliver’s material demonstrates growth as perhaps both an individual and an artist. Some of her music surely makes fans wonder why Oliver is not a big success “Right Now” and “How Long” until she is?
My name is Phoenix and . . . that’s the bottom line.
WWW.KARYNOLIVER.COM
KARYN OLIVER/Red Dress: One of those down home gals that writes and sings with style and knows how to shake the Americana groove, leaves her DC comfort zone to shake it up with a lot of contemporary Nashville looking for the chance to play some middle aged after hours stuff ( they don't stay up that late anymore). Right in the pocket throughout, Oliver probably sings from experience and is sure to touch the mid lifer with her wisdom that she's open to sharing. Tasty and tasteful, she might just be the grown up antidote to Taylor Swift.
I was recently fortunate enough to email interview Baltimore-based singer/songwriter Karyn Oliver about her 2010 CD, Red Dress (Amazon and iTunes). As detailed at her Facebook page, the CD was produced “by Thomm Jutz (Nanci Griffith) and featuring an all-star cast of experienced Nashville musicians, Red Dress shows Oliver at her sultriest (Right Now), bittersweetly melancholy (Candy Dish), and playfully flirtatious (Baby Don’t Speak). October Day transforms one woman’s story into a universal message about dreams that are lost and then recovered in an unexpected guise, while June is Leaving shows off Oliver’s gift for looking at the common through an uncommon and captivating eye.” In addition to discussing her music, we delve into the Baltimore-DC Americana scene, as well as her role as the host of WLOY radio’s The Mobtown Couch. Thanks to Oliver for her time and to Pigeon O’Brien for her assistance in making this interview feasible.
Tim O’Shea: I was amazed to learn most of this album was recorded in two days. How logistically challenging was that to pull off? Who were some of the musicians that you worked with and how did Thomm Jutz get involved as producer?
Karyn Oliver: Actually, I got really lucky with the musicians who were available when I was. I sort of squeezed the recording process into my tour schedule. It all worked out so well thanks mainly to Thomm Jutz.
Another songwriter friend of mine, Jeff Talmadge who really encouraged me to record in Nashville, introduced me to Thomm. I sent Thomm some rough recordings of the songs I was working on (most of which had been recorded directly onto my iPhone), and Thomm really liked what he heard. I listened to the work he had done with Nanci (Griffith) and a few other artists, and was very impressed with his range and ability to serve multiple styles of music, which was something I felt my album was going to require. Thomm and I spoke several times on the phone about what kind of recording I wanted to make, and he hired an extremely versatile, accomplished group of musicians based on those conversations. Within a month we were ready to roll.
Thomm played all of the guitar parts except for my rhythm guitar, Pat McInnerny (Nanci Griffith) is on drums, Barry Walsh (Gretchen Peters) is playing piano and keyboards, and Mark Fain (Ricky Skaggs) is the bass player.
I had the option of saving the “big studio” cost, but that would have meant sacrificing the live feel. I am so glad that I spent the extra money. The album has an energy that I’m not sure we could have gotten if we had tracked in pieces. Even the vocal was recorded live, which I’m very proud of.
We also had Dave Ferguson as our engineer. Dave is a master, and he made everything so easy. It was a joy to be able to just focus on my performance without having to worry about whether I was overdriving the microphone or freaking out the engineer. He’s a real pro.
O’Shea: How long was the songwriting process overall and were there certain songs that proved more challenging to write than others?
Oliver: Most of the songs were written in the year and a half leading up to the project. Challenging? Depends on what you mean by challenging. I think there are 2 main challenges for my kind of songwriting. Being honest enough with yourself, and being open enough to other people’s experience of your music not to shut them out of the song. October Day was probably the most challenging song to write, but the actual writing happened really quickly. I just had to be ready to write the song. That took a really long time.
O’Shea: Was there any song that changed drastically from your initial concept to the final version?
Oliver: Not really, but I tend to edit as I go, so they change in process quite a lot.
O’Shea: Did you test some of them songs out at live shows to see how they played for your audience?
Oliver: Yes, in fact I think I had played almost all of the songs at least a few times. Candy Dish was the last song to be included. I wrote it just a week or so before the sessions, and just knew it belonged on this album. But even that one got played for musical friends at a party before I recorded it.
O’Shea: Is there a backstory or particular inspiration for the song, Drag Your Angel Up?
Oliver: Yes. That song was a direct reaction to a documentary called The Magdalene Laundries, which is a film about convent laundries in Ireland and the atrocities that occurred there. It’s the only time something like that has inspired me to write a song. Of course, 12 years of Catholic school probably helped.
O’Shea: Do you feel like you’ve grown as a songwriter with the songs in Red Dress, compared to your previous album, Hurricane?
Oliver: I feel like I’ve grown as a person, which amounts to the same thing. I have more to talk about now, and I’m more honest with myself. As a result, more people seem to connect with this new album than the first one.
O’Shea: With songs like Candy Dish and All the More how do you decide it’s a song that needs a piano intro, as opposed to a guitar opening?
Oliver: Those decisions happened pretty organically in the studio. I would play the song through, and the band would decide what instrumentation they were using. On Candy Dish and All the More, we started with guitar on the front end, but it just wasn’t working. You can thank Thomm for the idea to let the piano open those tunes.
O’Shea: I was curious how did the distinctive opening to How Long come about?
Oliver: That was actually just a happy accident. We had a bit of a “false start”. Thomm originally cut it from the mix, but I liked it and so we decided to leave it in. I love that you can really hear the band working together on that track.
O’Shea: A few months ago, you wrote in your blog “I have probably been more new places this year than I have been in the whole of my life before now.” Has the traveling opened you up to new things to write new songs about?
Oliver: I guess so. Going to Texas, and The Kerrville Folk Festival has certainly had a big impact on my writing, just because I get to spend time swapping songs with incredible writers, and hanging out with large numbers of people who value the art form. The time that I have spent in The Netherlands has also been important, because that’s where my roots are. My Mother was born in Holland, and going there always feels like going home.
I think travel opens your mind to possibilities, and certainly meeting new people gives you more experience to draw from.
All of the hours in the car also result in lots of new songs. I’ve got to have something to do! I write a lot in the car.
O’Shea: How much does hosting a show like The Mobtown Couch help build your fanbase?
Oliver: It’s difficult to gage how much the show has increased my fan base. What I do know is that hosting the show has given me a way to provide an outlet for the great songwriters I love and respect. That’s why I started the show, and it’s why I’m still doing it.
O’Shea: Who are some of the musicians in the Baltimore/DC Americana music scene that you admire/respect?
Oliver: Oh, that’s a scary question. So many, and I’m bound to leave too many out, but I will try to give you a short list of just the truly Americana artists.
David Glaser
Naked Blue
Deanna Bogart
Beggars Ride
Lisa Taylor
Andrew McKnight
Ellen Cherry