Tift Merritt is back home from recording her second CD, and I saw her in Chapel Hill last night. I've seen both these artists before, but their show tonight was quite different.
First off,
Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion (her husband) opened with a set that featured an eclectic mixture of folk and rock. Sarah's lineage is apparent at both first glance and first listen - she is at her best with songs with acoustic arrangements of relatively sparse instruments but rich with wry humor - like 'There'll Be No Church Tonight' (one of the thousands of Woody Guthrie songs with lyrics (but not tunes) at the National Archives). Johnny appears to favor full electric arrangements - like 'Gervais' (named for the street in Columbia where the confederate flag flew at the state capitol). or 'Dr. King' (a song penned by Pete Seeger a couple years ago which they 'took through the folk process' - a term also coined by Pete to replace previously used less attractive terms like 'stole' and 'plagiarism' ) Unlike their performance last fall as a duo (if you don't count a brief opening cameo with Olivia their 1 year old daughter ) in a very intimate setting, this was more a full band rock mix. While very enjoyable I prefer the more intimate arrangements which highlight their vocals. They've just recorded their first CD together, so it'll be interesting to see if they have this eclectic mixture on that.
Tift showcased a lot of her new music in front of her hometown crowd. She mentioned that her new CD is 'more energetic', and if this show was any indicator that is a strong understatement. As much as her first album was reminiscent of Emmylou Harris, this one might be closer to Melissa Etheridge. Her renditions of 'Good Hearted Man', 'Neighborhood', and 'U Turn' raised the roof. Her range and folk side were well represented both in some new tunes and some favorites off her debut CD like 'Oh Virginia, No One Can Warn You' and 'When I Cross Over'. I can't wait for the new CD this summer. When asked for the title, she replied 'It's a secret (I haven't decided).'
I'm sure her shows at home are a little different (she's having so much fun up there it's impossible not to rub off on you), but if she makes it to your neck of the woods, you won't be sorry if you go.
