Search - Heidi Talbot :: Distant Future

A solid effort.

A. Willson | Atlanta, GA USA | 04/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After seeing Heidi Talbot with Cherish the Ladies last May at the University of Virginia, I was hoping to hear more... her renditions of "The Broome of the Cowdenknowes" and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More" were flawless, and kept the audience absolutely enthralled. Her voice is a very light, somewhat haunting soprano, lingering closely to the melody without much ornamentation or vibrato, distinctive in Celtic music and refreshing in melisma-saturated popular music.As for "Distant Future"...I think much of this album's sound can be attributed to John Doyle's flawless accompaniment and production. It is less "Celtic" than a Cherish the Ladies outing would be, reflecting Doyle's own explorations of American folk on his outstanding album "Evening Comes Early" (Shanachie 2001). Still, Doyle and Talbot are highly effective in recovering the connections between Celtic music and Appalachian folk, creating a pristine, straight-forward music with a delivery closer to popular American "acoustic rock" (comparisons to Sarah McLachlan and even Norah Jones aren't far off). It's an extremely laid-back album, and John Doyle's perfect, spacious rhythms can make a slower song with strong beats on 2 + 4 ("Jealousy") feel like a dirge--this is exactly the kind of album that lots of Amazon.com reviewers call "perfect when drinking coffee on Sunday morning!". Cute, yuppy comments aside, this is a solid effort from Heidi Talbot and John Doyle, a cut above most of the Celtic or American folk music coming out now, but we've probably yet to hear Heidi Talbot's definitive voice and musical impact come through on a record. With albums like "Distant Future", the wait shouldn't be unpleasant at all."