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View Full Version : Album Club - Week 121: 26.11.2013: Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo - Dear River



Album Club
26-11-2013, 00:12
Dan (dantheman) has made the selection for this week. Thanks Dan
Please enter into the discussion if you wish to vote, and listen to the entire album before commenting.

Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo - Dear River Deluxe Version (2013)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DIvPKhHKL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

spotify:album:3p65nH0xVCeFh6MYPLqd5O

(Note: this is not the deluxe version)


Dear River (http://www.deezer.com/album/6655292) on Deezer
(Note: this is the deluxe version)

Information on Emily:
Emily Barker is a guitarist and singer-songwriter born in Bridgetown, Western Australia. With multi-instrumental trio The Red Clay Halo, she has recorded four albums:
Photos.Fires.Fables. (2006), Despite The Snow (2008), Almanac (2011) and "Dear River" (2013).

Dear River: CD "Compact Disc"
I have chosen this album because for me its the best so far for 2013 its a really great album & its on Linn Records of Glasgow but the recording is a let down. The album is singer songwriter / folk
My favorite track is the album is "Dear River" vocals are sublime. On listening to this album i feel that there is pure natural vocal & presence and they are also
fabulous musicians this album has won many awards and what HI-FI rated it 4* & for good reasons. Particular elements are the arrangements of musicianship some
great solos. The cover & the artwork is good gives you an idea of the band & lyric inserts too

The Deluxe Edition (not available on Spotify) includes Disc 2: Sessions
Now if you want to hear a pure singer songwriter album then this one is for you disc 2 is the sessions on the album

LINKS
http://www.emily-barker.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Barker


Take a listen chaps may not be your cuppa tea but i do like it..

My vote score is 8/10

Thanks
Dan

MartinT
26-11-2013, 08:17
It's pretty-pretty but there was less for me to hold onto that I had expected. I will give it another listen but my vote at the moment would be 6/10.

John
26-11-2013, 19:30
Its a bit to nice (easy listening) for me
Sorry just not something I would listen too but sure plenty of folks will like it. I gave it a 3

synsei
26-11-2013, 19:47
I'm sort of in the same boat as Martin and John, it's a pleasant enough album however it doesn't really light my fire... 5/10 here

Alex_UK
26-11-2013, 20:18
Where's Tim when you need him... :) I'm a big fan, but haven't played it in a few weeks so I had better give it a spin before voting, but great choice, Dan. :)

Audio Al
26-11-2013, 20:26
First time of listening to this artist , very Folk based , Good vocals but limited range

I listened to the whole album , its OK ish but not blown away

I voted 6 out of 10 :)

high.spirits
27-11-2013, 11:42
Thanks for posting. Not heard of Emily before.
Not really into folky type music. OK for a listen as I always like to hear different music to see if my tastes are changing, which they have over the years.
Would not have on my play list - 6/10.

Tim
02-12-2013, 16:51
Where's Tim when you need him... :)
Been hanging out at my mates place in China, very relaxing.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/silverlake_zps87d9b2eb.jpg (http://s173.photobucket.com/user/greatgig/media/silverlake_zps87d9b2eb.jpg.html)

As Alex knows I'm a big fan of not only Emily's talent as a singer/songwriter, but its mostly her voice which does it for me, I find her captivating and incredibly soothing, almost spellbinding. I think the songwriting on this album is superb and some of her best, particularly 'Letters' which tells the story of her Grandfather during WWII, of which she knew very little about until recently. Her mother attempted to piece together the story of their lives and sent Emily a bundle of letters exchanged between her and distant relatives from the Netherlands and this formed the seed for the song. 'Letters' is written from the perspective of her Grandfather, but its best described by Emily as to why she wrote the song;


"Most of my song 'Letters' is written from the perspective of my Grandfather Reiner and his brother Frans and their time in exile during the war. They fled Rotterdam, leaving behind their family and their girlfriends' (including my grandmother to be), and hid out for three years in woodlands, farm houses and old factories along the German/Dutch border. During this time they both attempted to get word back home to let their loved ones know they were still alive. Imaging waiting, watching the clock for hours on end, for years on end, waiting for a sign, a message, a letter"

Quote from Emily's book Complete Lyrics 2003-2013

The thing about Emily's songwriting for me is its content, her lyrics are about life and real events and each song can take you on a journey. My favourite album is Photos.Fires.Fables. (especially the song Home) and if you ever get a chance to see her live, try and go as she puts on a great show - if you ever get the chance to see her solo, then don't miss it - for me Emily Barker is at her very best singing solo with just her Scott Wise guitar.

Anyway, I could wax lyrically about Emily for ages, so I'll shut-up now. I like this album but much prefer the acoustic Doghouse Sessions disc, so I'll give this 9/10, if it were the Doghouse disc, it would have been 10/10

Good choice as far as I'm concerned :thumbsup:

loo
05-12-2013, 11:47
The older I get the more I enjoy this kind of music and I really quite enjoyed this
Unexpectedly 6/10
Paul

Barry
05-12-2013, 16:56
Pleasant enough, but limited in vocal and material range. 5/10

pjdowns
14-12-2013, 19:16
Not really my favourite type of music I'm afraid so has to be a 4/10.

P.

Bazil
31-12-2013, 11:04
I found it lacked a few highs, all a bit bland, pleasant enough but lacking.
3/10