"Kindling the Fire"
"Kindling the Fire"
the new collaboration
by HARVEY REID & JOYCE ANDERSEN
Order it now to be sent to you
Harvey Reid and Joyce Andersen announce the June 2004 release of their second collaboration CD, Kindling the Fire, on Woodpecker Records. The eclectic mix of original, traditional and covers showcases their razor-sharp harmony singing and instrumental work at their best, and takes their partnership to a new depth and energy. They share the songwriting and lead vocal roles, and fans of hand-crafted traditional-flavored acoustic music will find a lot to get excited about in the 13 songs and 2 instrumentals on the hour-long recording.
Recorded in their trademark sparse, uncluttered style, in sparkling 24-bit digital
clarity, they run the Americana gamut from delta blues, with Reid’s slashing
slide guitar twining with Andersen’s fiddle, to a blazing fiddle tune,
gospel duets, ballads and thoughtful originals. Their arrangements of songs
by Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie Johnson, Lemon Jefferson & Norman
Blake ring true, and they also introduce some powerful new originals plus captivating
re-workings of songs from T-Bone Burnett and Lucinda Williams. They even include
a rollicking live-concert version of Ode to Billie Joe and a brilliant cover
of Richard Goldman’s tongue-in-cheek Good Years, and Kindling the Fire
is filled with a spirit and a drive that shows that this duo is digging in and
making a powerful statement.
Fans of Reid’s stringed instrument work will find much to enjoy, as he
weighs in on 6-string, 12-string & slide guitars, autoharp, bouzouki &
6-string banjo, and contributes some fine mandolin work. He has penned a major
new song, Losers in Love, and a catchy fiddle tune they burn up as a guitar/fiddle
duet. Andersen provides a backdrop of flawless fiddle work, and her solos, fills
and rhythmic drive mark her as a master fiddler, though it is in her vocals
that she really shines. From willowy ballads and her own haunting, gospel-tinged
songs, she jumps right to a sassy banjo-fiddle reworking of the rock & roll
classic Can’t Let Go.
Reid & Andersen straddle the fence between old and new, and bring their
own sensibilities to music rooted in older styles of playing. They capture the
best of both worlds, with some inspired jamming and a very engaging live-performance
feel interwoven with their considerable musical skills and polished arrangements.
They stand on the shoulders of some of the greats in modern and traditional
American folk music, and shine in their roles as both preservers of tradition
and as innovators helping to reshape the landscape of roots-based music, to
keep it fresh and evolving.
REVIEW FROM BOSTON GLOBE JUNE 2004
"Downeast musicians Harvey Reid & Joyce Andersen... have brought each other's music to new heights. The duo's new Woodpecker CD "Kindling the Fire," is a rootsy, warmhearted delight, rambling amiably from traditional gems to their own eloquent, timeless songs. Andersen's fiddling is fresh, fun and spacious, Reid's guitar playing fluid and graceful., and their harmonies-- well, you'd think they were in love..
Kindling the Fire Song List
Jack of Diamonds (Trad.)(5:39)
Church Bells (J. Andersen)(3:52)
Good Years (R. Goldman)(2:29)
Keep Your Lamp (Trimmed & Burning)(Trad.)(4:20)
Can’t Let Go (R. Weeks)(2:55)
Losers in Love (H. Reid)(3:03)
The Spring Hill Reel (H. Reid)(2:47)
Revelations Roll (K. Long)(3:20)
Billy Gray (N. Blake)(4:42)
Primitives (T. Burnett)(3:59)
Bound for the Promised Land (Trad.)(3:45)
I’ll Fly Away (Trad.)(3:04)
Louis Collins (Trad.)(3:18)
More Precious than Gold (J. Andersen)(4:21)
Ode to Bille Joe (B. Gentry)(6:45
Order "Kindling the Fire " now
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