ANAÏS MITCHELL
May 2008"And the big horns blowed and the pianos played / And the music rose to the old man's ears / I guess those were the olden days / I guess those were the golden years..." sings Anaïs Mitchell on her new record The Brightness. Such earnest nostalgia says a lot about the kind of art this Vermont native has been creating since entering the underground folk scene in 2002. At a time when the music industry is playing the role of the slickest of defense attorneys, using flash and dazzle campaigns to distract us from the fact that their clients are terrible, Mitchell is an artist who grew up on a sheep farm. She makes small-sounding, big-thinking folk albums that play like a front-porch serenade. If she feels in a bit of a time warp, you can't blame her.
“A songwriter of startling clarity and depth, equally skilled at turning a melody or lyrical phrase into what you didn't know you needed until you heard it... fearlessly emotive...like Dylan, Cohen, and Welch, Mitchell weaves her stories into an effortlessly beautiful and cohesive tapestry with the skill of an artisan's carpenter, showing no seams.”
--ACOUSTIC GUITAR
“Girlishly sprite and brimming with innocence... brings to mind the hippie-throwback charm of Victoria Williams, though... people more commonly note a resemblance to '80s pop star Cyndi Lauper.”
--NO DEPRESSION
“The earthiness of Shawn Colvin, the child-like bite of Joanna Newsom, and the urban jumpiness of Ani DiFranco... These elements, as disparate as they might seem, come together as nicely as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg...”
--ALL MUSIC GUIDE
Anaïs Mitchell makes her long awaited return to the HG Ballroom on Friday, May 9. http://www.anaismitchell.com
