Voices on the Verge: Live in Philadelphia

Voices on the Verge: Live in Philadelphia

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Although these four Generation X folkies have all released albums on their own, their shared live performances have gone furthest in winning fans of chiefly acoustic, quasi-feminist confessionalists like the Story, Ani DiFranco, and Dar Williams. To their credit, Rose Polenzani, Erin McKeown, Jess Klein, and Beth Amsel harmonize together sweetly--as on Maggie Simpson's secular gospel tune "Hunger"--but they're just as likely to fall back on cloying vocal gimmicks (McKeown can sound like a Jeff Buckley imitator) as lay their hearts on the line. The four save the latter for their lyrics, though unless you're a twentysomething member of the disenchanted white middle class, you'll likely be puzzled or pained by lines like "I want to cut myself/ but it looks like it hurts a lot." Given the four's youth and energy, their song craft may yet catch up to their already apparent gifts as musicians and performers. --Roy Kasten

Tracks:

Intro
Heaven Release Us
Hunger
Blackbirds
House You're Living In
Didn't They?
Louise
Thom II
Little White Dove
Softly Moses
Long Island Sound
You Don't Know
I'll Be Alright

Amazon.com

Although these four Generation X folkies have all released albums on their own, their shared live performances have gone furthest in winning fans of chiefly acoustic, quasi-feminist confessionalists like the Story, Ani DiFranco, and Dar Williams. To their credit, Rose Polenzani, Erin McKeown, Jess Klein, and Beth Amsel harmonize together sweetly--as on Maggie Simpson's secular gospel tune "Hunger"--but they're just as likely to fall back on cloying vocal gimmicks (McKeown can sound like a Jeff Buckley imitator) as lay their hearts on the line. The four save the latter for their lyrics, though unless you're a twentysomething member of the disenchanted white middle class, you'll likely be puzzled or pained by lines like "I want to cut myself/ but it looks like it hurts a lot." Given the four's youth and energy, their song craft may yet catch up to their already apparent gifts as musicians and performers. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

The Fantastic Future of Folk Music.......2005-08-15

Beth Amsel, Jess Klein, Rose Polenzani, and Erin McKeown are all extraordinarily talented singer-songwriters, each with their own very distinct styles of writing and performing. Any fan of modern American folk music is unlikely to be disappointed in any of their solo albums, and this well-orchestrated collaboration is a fantastic display of the future of the genre.

Amsel's voice has been described by Daniel Gewertz of The Boston Herald as "simply one of the most beautiful on today's folk scene," and I'd dare anyone to try to prove him wrong. Her sultry, powerful voice, combined with stellar songwriting skills, truly make her talent stand out on this album.

Jess Klein and Erin McKeown are folk-rock heroes, performing their respective "hits" ("Little White Dove" and "Blackbirds") along with a selection of other fantastic and lesser-known songs. Both skilled far beyond their years, their songs are catchy and eminently approachable.

Rose Polenzani, with her girl-next-door sweetness and her earnest delivery, rounds out the quartet. She so easily channels your every female friend, girlfriend, and sister that one can't help but adore her from the very start. Her voice blends effortlessly as a stellar backup, but it stands out quite well on its own on each of Polenzani's songs, most especially the catchy and powerful "You Don't Know," on which she receives a capable assist from Erin McKeown's guitar.

What other reviewers might view as "vocal gimmicks" on the album, I see as unique and eminently pleasant styles of performance. If you never got a chance to see Voices on the Verge perform live, then you missed out on a truly great concert - but do yourself a favor and buy this album anyway. You may not know it yet, but these women are four of your new favorite artists just waiting to be discovered.

Soulful, Thoughtful Songwriting.......2004-12-11

I picked this up a couple years ago after I heard an interview with them on NPR. It's one of my must-haves in the car and at work. Their songwriting is rich, and their singing is utterly engaging.

Excellent work.......2004-11-29

This is one of the CD cases that stays on top of the CD player most of the time because the CD simply stays in the CD player. Fabulous live sound, tight harmonies, quirky compositions, never predictable. I LOVE this CD. Great work. It has been inspirational to my own a cappella group, The Muses. www.ashevillemuses.com

3100 miles of listening pleasure!.......2003-01-06

On a recent road trip, my husband asked if I had anything "decent" in my van that we could listen to. He asked me for Sinead O'connor, but I assured him he would enjoy these female vocalists equally... Fast forward to 3000 miles later, and he was still popping in this cd whenever the engine started up. Back at home, he is still humming the tunes (as is my 7 year old) around the house. If you find that it's hard to find a CD that pleases everyone, try this little number out. My family has vastly different listening tastes, but on this one we agreed... for 3100 miles of listening and beyond!

4 parts make a whole........2002-02-27

I bought this CD as I already owned Jess Kleins' "Draw Them Near" and Rose Polenzanis "Anybody" so I thought I'd take a chance. Boy I'm so glad I did. 4 singers with different styles when they get together make a perfect whole. Each sing lead vocals on 3 tracks and are perfectly backed up by the others. It is unfair to pick stand-out tracks as they all have something to offer, however "Blackbirds" and "Heaven Release Me" are songs I can't get out of my head. Buy this CD, you will not regret it.
Since I purchased this I have managed to get Erin & Beth's solo CDs' - Well worth listening to.

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