Sharron Kraus - Beautiful Twisted - 2002

Quality: FLAC (tracks, CUE)

2002, Camera Obscura CAM 050CD, Australia

01 The Peacock's Wing
02 The River's Daughter
03 Moonbathing
04 The Family Tradition
05 Twins
06 Cold-Hearted Devil
07 Death Jig
08 The Wrong Man
09 Godstow
10 Beautiful Twisted
11 Song Of The Unfree

Sharron Kraus: vocals, guitar, 5-string banjo, whistle, percussion, keyboards
Ron Guensche: upright bass, electric bass, lap steel guitar, mandolin, 5-string banjo on 11
Amy Clay: fiddle on 1, 7, 10
Tracy Farbstein: fiddle on 2, 4, 5
Dean Welch: guitar, backing vocals
Marty Dowers: bass clarinet
Paul Conte: drums

First solo album. All songs writen by Sharron Kraus

Kraus' debut album would not have sounded at all out of place if it had been issued, say, in 1970 or 1971, at the time when such moody contemporary British folk was cresting. That's not at all to say that it's revivalist, or uncomfortably imitative; indeed, to listeners who love that vintage genre, it's more likely a high recommendation. In its ambience, the album strongly recalls the work of Shirley Collins, Sandy Denny, and more obscure songstresses like Vashti Bunyan. She's a decent songwriter, and very much fits in the British folk lineage with her sad yet dignified melodies and lyrics with plenty of images evoking nature, epic love, and mythological aspects. There are (for this style) out-of-the-ordinary up-front depictions of incest (in "Twins") and references to modern life (in the shiny car and taxi driver of the title track), though these aren't too typical of the compositions. There isn't enough rock to the backing to call this a folk-rock record, but it's definitely far more contemporary than standard British folk, both in attitude and also in the pleasant variation of instrumental accompaniment, as in the ominously echoing keyboard of "Beautiful Twisted" and the bass clarinet squeals of "Song of the Unfree."

SUPERB ALBUM