MARISA YEAMAN
Pure Motive... (Deep Pearl)

Marisa Yeaman is a young Australian singer/songwriter, and after three EPs, this is her first full-length venture. With less than half of the disc's content employing her band, Pure Motive is a showcase of the artist as she initially earned her chops: a girl, her guitar, and her songs, hitting the festivals, clubs, and pubs across the expanse of Oz. Somewhere along the way she tagged up with guitarist and sometime co-writer, Andrew Pendlebury, who also lends occasional vocal enhancement to complement a voice that is predominantly gentle and melodious, at times almost torchy, as in “Lonely Puppet”. The duo generates a sound that is unique and complex in its apparent simplicity, but there's more depth here than initially meets the ear. Yeaman's not a rocker by any means, but, when she decides to cut it a bit loose, there's an edge surfacing that has the hallmark of, say, a Joni Mitchell, or, more precisely, Mary Chapin Carpenter, in her Shooting Straight in the Dark days; for that matter, “Vacant Sign” would fit right into that CD's groove in every sense. With lyrics the likes of reading: “Some things in life can be easily defined; but love and danger draw a thin line”, she has that essential ability to present a concept or feeling in the most precise package possible, saying, to paraphrase an old quote, ‘the mostest, with the leastest'. Now that's the hallmark of good songwriting.

There are times when I do believe that bluegrass music was invented specifically to showcase the range and beauty of the female voice, and Adrienne Young is a good case in point. Her debut, Plow To The End Of The Row, was underrated, and I'll be damned if I'll make that mistake here. This one is Plow's equal, if not better. Again backed by the superb musicians of Little Sadie, Young has assembled an hour's worth of some of the most pleasing sounding bluegrass tunes extant today, a judicious combination of her own songs, some that she co-wrote, and a few from other sources. Standouts include “Hills & Hollers”, “My Love Will Keep”, “Rastus Russell”, and “Wedding Ring”, with its Cajun inspired fiddle, from the fifteen tracks contained. (There's a bonus track available from her website, but you'll have to buy the disc to get the goods, 'cause I ain't gonna spill the beans for you) One thing about Young, she gives you your money's worth: the music is great, there's more of it than on a lot of other releases, and, she always seems to include some extra goodies; last time around it was wildflower seeds, which I didn't get, by the way, but I hear they sprouted real nice. Let this one sprout in your ears; you won't regret it.