This is Boston...Not Austin Review
Copyright (c) 1995, Joe DeRouen
All rights reserved


This is Boston...Not Austin    
Black Wolf Records


THIS IS BOSTON...NOT AUSTIN, declares the cover of this compilation of
Boston's best singers and songwriters, defiantly challenging Austin,
Texas' long-held title as the proving grounds for any folk musician
worth their salt. 

Austin, move over.  You have company.  This 15-song disc from Black Wolf
Records contains songs from some of the best and brightest performers in
folk today, music that could stand up against any other city or area in
the country. 

Jonatha Brooke, long one of my favorites, starts off the collection with
"Just One Word", a beautifully crafted piece sung with an earthy
urgency.  Brooke's voice has to be one of the best in the business,
wrapping itself around the music, matching it, and bringing the song to
even greater heights.  This song only hints at her talents.

Ellis Paul's "Paperback Man" holds the second track, and is just as
strong as Brooke's song.  Paul's vocals are both haunting and compelling
as he sings about a woman lost between the pages of a novel, living a
life of fiction.  He also plays a mean guitar, all of which adds up to
one of the very best entries on the compilation. 

The rest of the album manages to hold the pace set by the first two
songs, in a few cases even surpassing it.  There are a few songs that
fade into the back of your mind after the first listen, but the majority
are strong, solid efforts by some of folk music's most talented players
today. 

"Glory Bound" is an epic ballad exploring the life of a traveller
looking for a little glory, performed expertly and effortlessly by
Martin Sexton.  Sexton's voice on the song is incredible, moving from a
carnal growl to a beautiful falsetto and then back again; a vocal tour
de force. 

Kevin Connolly's raspy-voiced "Take Me to the Sea" is at once startling
and soothing, a rambling, bluesy song that reflects his seaside
upbringing.  Connolly was voted the best folk artist of 1994 by Boston
Magazine; this song is easy to see why. 

"Sweet Addiction" by Deb Pasternak, is an achingly sad song about a
woman with a desperate need for escape.  Pasternak's style has its
roots both in jazz and folk, and it works very well for her and for the
song and its inclusion on the album. 

Sean Staple's "Golden Fear" is one of the most powerful songs in this
collection, at times rivalling and imitating the energy of some of Cliff
Eberhardt's best work.  "Golden Fear" is a hard-rocking, intelligent
acoustic masterpiece, a song about challenging fear and the dangers that
lie within.  This is probably my favorite piece from the compilation.  I
wouldn't be surprised to see Sean making national headlines very soon. 

The last track of the album is Barbara Kessler's "Happy With You", a
pretty song about being happy with the one you love.  Kessler has a very
rich voice and really brings this song alive, infusing it with an emotion
and power rarely found in even the best of songs.  A fitting end to an
excellent album.

As the title of the compilation claims, Boston has most certainly
captured a large piece of the nation's folk talent.  If the talent
represented on this album is any indication, Austin may indeed have
something to worry about after all.  

