About "Letters From the Jalopy"
Track List: play all
- Trainwrecks & Robberies
- Claybirds
- Ghosttown
- The Other Side
- Man in the Moon
- Letters from the Jalopy II (Think of Me)
- Leaving Me Because
- Eyes of Angels
- Meryl`s Spring
- Amsterdam
- Parachute/Last Person Waltz
Guests include Jeannie Deva and Jennifer Kimball (vocals) Eric Paull of Clem Snide (drums)
Kelly Davidson and Robert Castagna (photography)
Order your copies at CDBaby only $13 each.
I`ll be danged. Another roots-type act which doesn`t bite it in the least. It had gotten to where I dreaded even opening the things anymore, thinkin` this town can only support x-amount of decent acts in a given genre. And I saw the song titles, with the trainwrecks and robberies and ghost towns and waltzes. And there was this happy kinda slickness permeating things which put me off. And frankly, I`m even biased toward people with funny names. Fact is, I`ll listen to this more than anything else for the next several weeks. Turns out those titles were largely metaphorical, thank Christ. Smooth-glidin` melodies carry non-stupid lyrics atop thoughtful, economical arrangements. And it`s never over-wrought, like so many "sensitive" types are. There are even some odd sonic surprises tossed in to throw ya. But it`s Mack`s voice that nails it. Equal parts aching, sexy, been-there and comforting, she makes it feel like an ice cube to the forehead on a sweltering day. I`d tell you how it honest-to-God affects certain parts of my anatomy, but I`ve found that total strangers don`t wanna hear about that shit for some reason. Oh well.
- Joe Coughlin,
The Noise, October 15, 2003
In Ksenia Mack`s song "Trainwrecks and Robberies," she says, "She`s hard to resist, look at this..." You could say the same for Ksenia Mack herself. Her newest CD, Letters from the Jalopy, is like a summer storm. Mack`s strong, honey-warm voice rolls through, bearing beautiful word droplets, and before you know it, the emotion is pouring all around you. You stand in it, letting it soak you to the bone because it feels so good.
Mack`s playfulness, as heard in some lyrics, such as "God`s asleep, better turn your TVs down," is balanced with the delicate nature of other lyrics, as heard in Meryl`s Spring, "Meryl`s in her spring. Flowers folding, beautiful unseen." This contradiction is the soul of what folk music really is, and Ksenia Mack`s music is what folks should really listen to. Every song will find that part of your heart that needs to be heard, held, and poked fun at a little. Although Ksenia Mack`s voice and music are as distinctive as her name, if you like the music of the Indigo Girls, Kathleen Edwards, and Alison Krauss, you surely won`t be disappointed with this CD.
- Erin West,
www.indiemusic.com, January 03, 2004