speed of dark

Take You Away, the second album by Megan Palmer, an Ohio singer/songwriter who plays violin, piano, and guitar, is a sweet, sad, sassy, and beautiful collection of songs. Not quite country and not quite folky, most of it was recorded in a 2-day session in Joshua Tree, CA, near where I lived for over 20 years. Palmer's style is bound to please fans of Victoria Williams, who assisted on the album, and Emmylou Harris, whose voice Palmer's resembles at times.

Most arrangements are simple, showcasing Palmer's talents, as in "Hair of the Dog," an ode to a love affair with repeated endings. There is some banjo on "Matador" and lovely, lonesome slide on both that and on the title song, where it enhances her sweet fiddle. Palmer's piano on "Don't You Worry" makes that track one of my favorites on the CD. "Loss For Words," is rich and orchestral with the dramatic rumble of a kettle drum underlining the violin line.

Other standouts are the two cover songs: "Richland Woman," written by Mississippi John Hurt and famously covered by Maria Muldaur (this is one of my husband's favorite songs ever), and "For No One" from the Beatles' Revolver. The latter has been covered by Emmylou Harris and by Rickie Lee Jones, and Palmer's rendition compares well against these two grande dames of music.

Palmer's voice is not perfect. She occasionally doesn't hit notes square on. In a few places she runs out of breath and her voice quivers to hold a note as long as it requires. I personally find flaws like this forgiveable and even endearing.

Take You Away is well worth checking out, in fact, I could imagine that for some people this could be one of their favorite albums of the year. My husband also gives it a thumbs-up. Only 500 copies of the first edition have been made, and the first 200 sold receive a bonus CD of seven songs, so go directly to Palmer's website to order one of these. If you are not a collector, the songs are available for download as well.

From Take You Away (2007):
Megan Palmer: Deadman
Megan Palmer: Take You Away

MySpace | Website | Label: Sunken Treasure Records
Buy at Megan Palmer's Website |
Download from eMusic and iTunes: Take You Away and Take Away II (bonus CD)
Shows:
Megan Palmer is currently playing shows in Ohio, Kentucky, and New York City through December. Check her MySpace page for dates and venues.