Linda
Stoffel – Songbird (Juneapple Records)
Born and raised on the East Coast of the USA, now
residing in the Southern Missouri Ozarks, Linda Stoffel earned her musical
spurs with several folk troupes, including Kirby's Dilemma, Coyote and the
Davis Creek Rounders. With members of the latter group, she’s recently been
involved in the Blackberry Winter Band, an off-shoot of the acclaimed Debra
Granik movie, "Winter's Bone", playing and recording the mountain
music that was so prominently featured.
As far as I can ascertain, “Songbird” is Stoffel’s
debut album release, and it’s an elegant representation of her musical tastes,
and the artists and songwriters who have influenced her over the years. All 13
tracks are covers, and Stoffel gets to stamp her own identity on them courtesy
of her beautifully rustic soprano voice, and affectionate, gently soothing, acoustic
folk arrangements. Members of the Blackberry Winter Band, together with
multi-instrumentalist Dave Wilson and pianist Patti Goss, ably assist her
throughout.
It’s always good to hear a Kate Wolf song being sung,
and here we get two: the unaccompanied “The Lilac and
the Apple” and the enduring “Across the Great
Divide”. Both are superb renditions. Rodney Dillard’s “There Is a Time” is an early highlight and even when
she gets to grip with a pop standard, in this case the Cyndi Lauper radio
mainstay “True Colors”, she brings something
altogether timeless to her approach.
Tony S.
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