{"id":41918,"date":"2021-03-22T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T15:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/?p=41918"},"modified":"2021-03-23T18:37:19","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T22:37:19","slug":"musique-boutique-witch-camp-ghana-loretta-lynn-nashville-ambient-ensemble-leandrul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/musique-boutique-witch-camp-ghana-loretta-lynn-nashville-ambient-ensemble-leandrul\/","title":{"rendered":"MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE: Witch Camp (Ghana), Loretta Lynn, Nashville Ambient Ensemble, &#038; Leandrul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Welcome to Audiofemme\u2019s monthly record review column,\u00a0<strong>Musique Boutique<\/strong>, written by music journo vet\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GillianGaarWriter\/\">Gillian G. Gaar<\/a>. Every fourth Monday, Musique Boutique offers a cross-section of noteworthy reissues and new releases guaranteed to perk up your ears.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/witchcampghana-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41919\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHatred Drove Me From My Home\u201d was the first track I streamed from <em>I\u2019ve Forgotten Now Who I Used to Be<\/em> (Six Degrees Records) and I was spellbound. This collection of field recordings documents the experiences of women in Ghana who have been forced to seek refuge in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Witch_camp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">witch camps<\/a>\u201d after being accused of witchcraft and driven from their homes. The music is like nothing I\u2019ve ever heard before, a first-hand account of the lives of those who have lost everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The voices are powerful and resonant, the instrumentation provided by whatever\u2019s at hand \u2014 tin cans, corn husks, a tea pot. There\u2019s no translation beyond the song titles, but it\u2019s not needed; the underlying emotion comes through clearly. \u201cI Was Accused,\u201d sung acapella, consists of a single, repeated phrase, anchoring the singer to her identity (though all the performers here are anonymous, to prevent backlash from their communities). The calm, quiet singer of \u201cEverywhere I Turn, There Is Pain\u201d is accompanied by the harsh <em>clang, clang<\/em> of metal striking metal, as a bird chirps in the background. There\u2019s a sense of anger in \u201cThere Are No Promises in This World,\u201d and the heartbreak in the subdued voice singing \u201cLeft to Live Like an Animal.\u201d But there are also unexpected moments of joy, as in the boisterous \u201cLove\u201d and with its chorus of women whooping in delight. Born out of hardship and loss, this is music that is unforgettable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/4PtGLnuJhlzfCEsTVBAN6p\" width=\"300\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/loretta-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41920\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the verge of her 89th birthday in April, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lorettalynn.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Loretta Lynn<\/a> returns with her first new album since 2018, <em>Still Woman Enough<\/em> (Legacy Recordings). The title track is a fun, lively song of strength and resilience, that has Lynn proudly proclaiming, \u201cI know how to love, lose, and survive\u201d in the chorus, with a little help from her friends Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood. It sets the tone for this spirited, optimistic album, that celebrates women in country music, and sees Lynn revisiting some of her past successes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a nod to Mother Maybelle Carter and the Carter Family in her fine take on \u201cKeep On the Sunny Side.\u201d Margo Price joins Lynn in the lament \u201cOne\u2019s on the Way\u201d (which contrasts the lifestyles of the rich and famous with the more downbeat reality of most women). Tanya Tucker playfully jousts with Lynn over who will ultimately claim the prize on \u201cYou Ain\u2019t Woman Enough.\u201d Lynn\u2019s resonant voice is especially suited to rousing numbers like Hank Williams\u2019 \u201cI Saw the Light.\u201d But the most poignant performance is her spoken-word recitation of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5VhOPHR47qE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coal Miner\u2019s Daughter<\/a>,\u201d about her hardscrabble beginnings. And speaking of her signature song, her autobiography of the same name has just been republished, in an updated and expanded edition, taking her remarkable story up to the present day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6t1h5sp58mtWBsl0ptwfZv\" width=\"300\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cerulean.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41922\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cerulean.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cerulean-324x324.jpg 324w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cerulean-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cerulean-416x416.jpg 416w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cerulean-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cerulean-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Cerulean<\/em> (Centripetal Force Records), by the Nashville Ambient Ensemble is the sound of the country music capital as might be envisioned by Angelo Badalamenti; there\u2019s a languid dreaminess, but also a sense of mystery. The seven-piece Ensemble was organized by Michael Hix, who drew on the pool of stellar talent available in Music City. The instrumental range blends electric guitar, baritone electric guitar, and pedal steel guitar with piano, synthesizer, and guitar synth, resulting in a lush bed of sound to sink into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The music is largely instrumental, with occasional vocal contributions from Deli Paloma-Sisk, floating in and out of the music with delicate grace. The mixing and melding also extends to the music\u2019s creation, with the musicians often improvising (it\u2019s why the track \u201cConversion\u201d runs over ten minutes), allowing a piece to ebb and flow at its own pace. The word \u201ccerulean\u201d refers to the color blue, the color of serenity, something you\u2019ll find in abundance here. This is lovely, ethereal music to chill out to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 400px; height: 340px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1284640276\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nashvilleambientensemble.bandcamp.com\/album\/cerulean\">Cerulean by Nashville Ambient Ensemble<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/leandrul-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41921\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Crosby Morgan was a folk-oriented singer-songwriter until she discovered electronic dance music. She released her first EDM work, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/leandrul.bandcamp.com\/album\/primal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PRIMAL<\/a><\/em>, in 2018, under the name Leandrul. Now comes the enticing follow up, <em>Psychosis of Dreams<\/em> (Handsmade).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The album is based on her own experiences dealing with mental health issues, and is crafted as a journey, from the opening track \u201c2010\u201d through the concluding \u201cRedemption.\u201d The song titles are meant to be signposts, leading you on the way. \u201cI know now what they meant when they said that life and death really aren\u2019t so different,\u201d Leandrul sings in \u201cDeath by Nerium,\u201d a quiet contemplation of suicide. \u201cYou don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like to have your brain fried,\u201d is the devastating observation in the pulsating \u201cElectroconvulsive Memory,\u201d Leandrul\u2019s cool delivery providing a sharp contrast with the horrors she describes. A number of organic sounds work their way into this electronic realm as well; a guitar case used as a drum, the noise of a dryer or power drill sampled and reworked. This is an intensely personal album that nonetheless has a universal resonance. It\u2019s the story of looking into the abyss and the long road back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 400px; height: 472px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=768562833\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/leandrul.bandcamp.com\/album\/psychosis-of-dreams\">Psychosis of Dreams by Leandrul<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Audiofemme\u2019s monthly record review column,\u00a0Musique Boutique, written by music journo vet\u00a0Gillian G. Gaar. Every fourth Monday, Musique Boutique offers a cross-section of noteworthy reissues and new releases guaranteed to perk up your ears. \u201cHatred Drove Me From My Home\u201d was the first track I streamed from I\u2019ve Forgotten Now Who I Used to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":41926,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10494,202],"tags":[11992,11996,11995,11994,11991,9448,11993,11989,11990],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/mb10.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41918"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41918"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41925,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41918\/revisions\/41925"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}