Filed under: artist spotlight, folk, indie, music, music spotlight | Tags: Bonnie Raitt, Darcie Miner, folk, indie, Joan Osborne, music, realist, romance, romantic, singer, songstress, Tracy Chapman
To listen to Darcie Miner, and find out more about her, visit:
www.DarcieMiner.net
www.myspace.com/darcieminer
Sounds like: Bonnie Raitt’s quality of tone, Joan Osborne’s confidence and Tracy Chapman’s bare-bones delivery.
FYI: Darcie has covered two fan favorites from two very different popular male musicians: Ohio, by Neil Young (on the Cinnamon Girl Charity Album, mentioned in my previous post), and Come Pick Me up, originally by Ryan Adams, on 2007’s Dm
As is probably already obvious, I have a soft spot for singers with a flair for romantic realism (and yes, I realize how bizarre those two are together). Now, I haven’t gone through enough heartbreak myself to know from experience what they’re singing about, but that’s where the true gift comes in. It requires a great deal of skill and a certain heart-on-your-sleeve quality to sing about life’s beautiful disasters and inspire in others such vivid imagery as to help them imagine just what it must feel like, whether they themselves have ever felt it or not. As I’ve recently discovered, this is a talent Darcie Miner has in spades. Inspired by her cover of Ohio (mentioned as a standout track on the Neil Young Cover Album, Cinnamon Girl, in my previous post), I immediately went off in search of further songs by the unfamiliar artist. Imagine my surprise when I found she had previously covered another of my favorite songs to wonderful results, one originally written and sung by one of the few men included in my ‘romantic realist’ group of favorites. This song is Ryan Adam’s Come Pick Me Up. However, fantastic covers aside (a skill I commend her for btw, as making someone fall in love with one of their favorite songs all over again is no easy feat), I downloaded both of Darcie’s currently listed itune CD’s, and have no doubt they will be in circulation for a long time to come.
Standout Tracks: A Lot to Lose (from 2006’s The Fragile EP), Trainwreck In Pennsylvania, Come Pick Me Up (from 2007’s Dm)
Best Played: on those wonderfully dreary drives through a drizzling rain, to pump some life back into life
Current Resume: The Fragile EP (2006), Dm (2007)
Filed under: artist spotlight, indie, music, music spotlight | Tags: catchy, indie, Ingrid Michaelson, Kate Nash, lovely, music, musician, pop, quirky, song, songstress, spotlight, Weepies, woman
To listen to Ingrid Michaelson, and find out more about her, visit:
www.ingridmichaelson.com
www.myspace.com/ingridmichaelson
Sounds like: The result of a crazy one night stand between The Weepies and Kate Nash
It’s hard to say how long Ingrid Michaelson has been around. She only has two CD’s on itunes, both of which were made in the past 5 years, and one feature on a recent Joshua Radin song “Sky”. Despite seeming to only recently join the scene however, Ingrid Michaelson’s quirky songs speak to years of experience, both musical and otherwise. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, her lyrically excellent songs speak of just how bittersweet life, love and music truly can be. From the brisk cautionary schoolyard song “Charlie”, to the sweet love song about acceptance that is “The Way I Am”, Ingrid’s views on life and relationships are as faceted as her skill with her craft. A truly talented singer/songwriter, I wholeheartedly believe she is on the verge of becoming an enormous success, without compromising a single thing. Until then however, she’ll just have to be contented with being one of indie pop music’s best kept secrets.
Standout Tracks: Die Alone, Breakable, The Way I Am
Best Played: Anytime you need to smile.
Current Resume: Slow the Rain (2005), Girls and Boys (2007), featured on Joshua Radin’s Unclear Sky – EP (2008)
Recommended Research: Let Go, Charlie, I’ll See You In My Dreams, all off of 2005’s Slow The Rain
