Iron Range Maiden

I keep a fairly eclectic playlist on Estrogenius, but as I've admitted before, there is a paucity of selections from the Americana side of the musical universe. In other words, you'll hear no Country, no Bluegrass, no Folk and no Jazz. That is a personal choice, based on my own taste, and the fact that I think that women in those genres are comparatively well-served by traditional media; I play the artists and genres that I feel are underserved. Also, I generally don't like Country, Bluegrass, Folk and Jazz. There is that. However, I do play artists who take those genres and put their own unique spin on them. One example is the astoundingly good Natalie London, whose style can best be described as "Thrash Folk".

Americana in general has enjoyed a relative explosion in popularity in recent years, with breakout hits like the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou, and the publicity garnered by Jack White's duties as a performer on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, and producer of Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose album.

Thus, perhaps it was inevitable that I, too, would cross-over and play some Americana. But being Me, I couldn't just play any ordinary artist; it would have to be someone a little different, and a lot better than the norm. Someone who fits the Estrogenius criteria of being an artist who is not getting enough exposure, but who deserves to be a superstar.

So, whose talent and skill managed to overwhelm me? That would be Minnesota's own Sara Softich.

Let's rewind a bit: Sara Softich contacted me about a month ago to promote her new release, Pipe Dream. When I saw that her previous work was a Country project called "Rusted & Bent", I was skeptical. But Pipe Dream was supposedly a major departure from that earlier work, in that it was a piano-based collection of ballads. Now you're talking! I asked Sara to send me the CD.

If you're folk-phobic like me, then you may wonder how I can possibly be so overwhelmed by such a simple album. How simple? The album was recorded using collaborator Jason Wussow's old 8-track recorder and the upright piano from Ms Softich's childhood. But that's the beauty of Pipe Dream: The arrangements may be simple, but the music is not. The tone remains dark throughout most of the album, and even the lighter tracks are tinged with melancholy. And that, as a dark-side Martha Stewart might say, is a very good thing.

The album opens with the title track, a perhaps-autobiographical account of a failed stint in Nashville, told sparingly with piano, organ and vocal. This beautiful song grabbed me to such an extent, that I already have a personal anecdote about it:

I've now been sick with the flu for about a week (which is why I'm so late updating the blog). Early on, when I was really getting slammed by it, lying in bed semi-delerious with unpleasant symptoms, one song kept playing in a loop in my head: "Pipe Dream." Why? I have no idea, but then a lot of things don't make sense when you're sick. Maybe the somber feeling of the song just fit my mood well at that time. The point is, imagine how powerful a song has to be to stick in your head for any reason. Congratulations to Sara Softich for creating a song that really got its hooks into me. That day, I looked at the blinds in my window and imagined red curtains blowing in the breeze.

And that's just track one.

The next track, "Ireland", makes me wish that Ms Softich had included a lyric sheet with the album. In this case, the upbeat (for this album) music belies a serious tale of separation. I especially liked the following few lines: Hear the burning of fiddle strings, chop the piano for kindling / Got a gallon of gasoline, divorce is better than death.

"Down in the Cellar" is a Cabaret-style song, and Ms Softich proves herself a natural at this genre too, as she also does with the instrumental "Corraine's Waltz". And I'm going to guess that after a a few more listenings, the haunting album closer "Wizard" will have a similar effect on my psyche as "Pipe Dream". Indeed, what's remarkable about the album Pipe Dream is not the variety of genres -- the artist has actually limited herself to a few closely-related subgenres of Americana -- rather, it's the consummate skill with which the album is executed.

For an album that seems to be marketed almost as a side-project, Pipe Dream is really a showcase of one artist's outstanding vision. Not only did Sara Softich lend her crystal-clear voice to the songs, she also wrote and produced the entire album. Therefore, although she was joined by a collection of great session musicians, the artistic success of the album rests with no one but Sara Softich herself; and this "new" artist acquitted herself with the skill of a seasoned professional.

Ultimately, I think that some musical works are greater than the sum of their parts. Some can transcend limitations (self-imposed or otherwise), and become an extension of the artist herself, not just a record of her observations. They can get inside your head and stay there, or they can change your emotional state in any number of ways. Sara Softich has succeeded at this, in the best way possible. This is a "small" album, made with few instruments and uncomplicated arrangements; but it still had a big impact on me.

In my view, Pipe Dream is a small treasure.