Tomorrow You're Going

The Pine Hill Project

Signature Sounds Recordings, 2015

http://www.facebook.com/PineHillProject

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/28/2015

Lucy Kaplansky has been a staple in the New York City folk scene since the early '80s, and later on formed Cry Cry Cry with Dar Williams. After that dissipated, Kaplansky has had success as a solo artist while still finding the time to collaborate with others. Richard Shindell comes from a similar scene and played with Kaplansky in Cry Cry Cry, though his biggest push came in the late '90s when Joan Baez recorded a few of his songs and then took Shindell on tour with her.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Though the pair has recorded many albums of original songs, the two have reunited on Tomorrow You're Going to cover a handful of their favorite selections from genres spanning pop, country, folk and Americana.

“Lately” by Greg Brown, leads the disc off with a warm duet and serves as a foreshadowing of what's to come. “Wichita,” originally penned by the always-captivating Gillian Welch, brings in the Americana with jumpy keys where Shindell handles the bulk of vocal duties. From there, the duo spreads their wings on the lush country ballad of “Open Book” and the bouncy upright bass version of the Nick Lowe tune “I Live On A Battlefield.”

Now it's very likely that someone without an encyclopedic knowledge of the music by the artists covered in the disc won't even realize they're listening to updated versions of the originals. However, by the time the album gets to “The Sweetest Thing,” which is by far the most recognizable tune, it becomes more obvious. For the diehard U2 fan, it might seem like blasphemy to even attempt to redo what some will consider a flawless song already. But for someone like myself, who at the mere mention of U2 falls into a boredom-induced coma, Kaplansky's soothing voice makes this song much more tolerable.

When it comes to albums of this nature, I generally feel that unless one is adding their own flavor to the equation, there is little point. The Pine Hill Project, with their dual gender vocals, genre-skipping skills, and interesting song selections from top 40 hits to traditionals like “I Know You Rider,” certainly place new feelings into old songs with grace and timelessness.

Rating: B+

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


Comments

 








© 2015 Tom Haugen and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Signature Sounds Recordings, and is used for informational purposes only.