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Post by yorkshireman on Jun 14, 2022 20:03:49 GMT
Amber Rubarth - Sessions from the 17th Ward - 2012
I came across Amber Rubarth while buying another album, finding a review of the album I decided to download it.
I was so supprised with the calmness, tone and texture of the music, along with Amber's voice.... I was hooked. Why is this album my first choice for this slot ?...
Well its my goto album when im feeling down, it just calms me and puts me in a better frame of mind.
I have been suffering with depression for over 18 months due to having servere Osteoarthritis. The recording is made by Chesky Records using the Binaural+ recording technique, more info in the link below The album Sessions From The 17th Ward is a live album, but don’t let that scare you off. This private show, recorded at St. Elias Church in Brooklyn, transfers very well to audio-only format. It’s a tight set-up—songwriter Amber Rubarth provides vocals and guitar, backed by cello (Dave Eggar), violin (Tim Snider), and light percussion (Chuck Palmer). This modest setting is the perfect environment for Rubarth’s performance to shine through.
Her voice is gentle and unassuming, and her songs follow on a similarly comforting path. She’s got her fair share of heartbreak here, but any and all personal woes come from an honest and understanding narrator (as opposed to self-indulgent catharsis). Along the way, songs are also interspersed with brief instrumental interludes that both build mood and add breathing space. My favorite tracks are “Washing Day,” the sparkling early morning ode to love and laundry, the swinging night-walk of “Full Moon In Paris,” and the simple and sweet “Darkest Dark, Brightest Bright.” Not every tune makes such an impression as these, but as a whole, the album is more placid than sedated.
The beguiling delicacy of Rubarth’s voice is especially apparent in her reverent takes on the work of Tom Waits, Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, and The Carter Family. These covers meld seamlessly with Rubarth’s original material, playing an important role in the cohesiveness of the album. Waits’ “Hold On” opens the set, and The Carter Family’s “Storms Are On The Ocean” ends it, both almost lullabies, solidifying the thread that carries the essential message of perseverance.
Sessions From The 17th Ward is a well-spaced and clean recording. It serves as a perfect showcase for Rubarth’s musical personality while retaining the vigor and playfulness of a live performance.
Links
Hope you enjoy 
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Post by ChrisB on Jun 14, 2022 20:23:15 GMT
What a great thread starter this is, for your first Album Choice - you even managed to add the poll!!
Thanks a lot for your choice, I'm sure quite a few members will enjoy this.
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Post by yorkshireman on Jun 14, 2022 20:29:25 GMT
What a great thread starter this is, for your first Album Choice - you even managed to add the poll!! Thanks a lot for your choice, I'm sure quite a few members will enjoy this. Chris, Thank you. |
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Post by mocarver on Jun 14, 2022 23:22:48 GMT
I bought this cd recently. Great recording. Listening to it now. Yorkshireman as the first song says “Hold On”.
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Post by yorkshireman on Jun 14, 2022 23:49:26 GMT
I bought this cd recently. Great recording. Listening to it now. Yorkshireman as the first song says “Hold On”. I need to get a cd version, I have the DSD128 version. Thanks for your words  |
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Post by petea on Jun 15, 2022 17:46:39 GMT
Not just thinking about it, I did. I couldn't find it on Qobuz or Tidal and so I bought a 16/44 download from her Bandcamp account (interestingly she has two, and so you need to include the album name in the search): I will probably add a higher resolution version from Chesky Records.
A very effective recording and I enjoyed her songs, the covers and the instrumental stuff a lot. The binaural+ recording technique certainly produces a very live experience. I'm always interested in 'alternative' mic'ing setups and this is both more effective I think than the single mic. session that Cowboy Junkies produced in a similar venue (The Trinity Sessions) and musically much more interesting. The Trinity Revisited version has stronger performances I think, but they ended up mostly using mixed close mic. recordings rather than the interesting surround mic'd version planned as the ambience was too strong. While the ambience is strong in the 17th Ward recordings, it is not dominant and it does have the overall feel of a live, un-amplified session.
I listened to this on the main system here in Germany and will probably listen again, but with the Shihanians in the system as it is the sort of recording in which they will shine. Before that though I will listen through headphones as I find they usually give the best reproduction of a binaural recording.
I did not know her work before, but I shall be exploring more, so thanks for the introduction. A 1 from me.
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Post by yorkshireman on Jun 15, 2022 18:00:04 GMT
Hi Petea
Glad you are liking it, I
found it on Tidal, maybe its a regional restriction.
It is a very nice recording and has a great atmosphere.
love to hear what you think of it through your headphones.
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Post by MartinT on Jun 15, 2022 18:41:59 GMT
I've switched the ultraRendu to Spotify mode. It's a very natural sounding recording, a bit more distant than I'm used to hearing. The feeling of the music is folky verging on Cajun style.
Re-reading your intro, I see it's a Chesky and the recording is very much in keeping with their other excellent material. This 320k stream easily passes for CD quality.
The instrumentation is so sparse and low key that it did grab my attention, but I admit the same treatment for each song does rather blend them together in the end.
On your scale, 4/5 = 2.
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Post by Slinger on Jun 15, 2022 19:35:13 GMT
The sparse arrangements don't bother me. Everything that needs to be there is there, and the songs aren't buried under needless layers of instrumentation. Vocally, she reminds me of the late, great, Nanci Griffith and maybe Anaïs Mitchell, with a smdge of Alynda Segarra in places. I could have lived without the instrumental interludes, but I imagine they'e a part of the " you had to be there" live ambience. I'm not sure about " Cajun," Martin. I'll give you Louisiana, but the sound I think you're talking about I'd pitch more in the middle of New Orleans during Mardi Gras rather than elsewhere, and besides, there's not an accordion to be heard.  A good, solid, four out of five, which, as we know, is a "2". |
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Post by MartinT on Jun 15, 2022 19:39:53 GMT
I'm not sure about " Cajun," Martin. I'll give you Louisiana, but the sound I think you're talking about I'd pitch more in the middle of New Orleans during Mardi Gras rather than elsewhere, and besides, there's not an accordion to be heard.  Fair enough, I was struggling to pin it down. |
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Post by yorkshireman on Jun 15, 2022 22:25:45 GMT
Didnt realise I had the poll numbering the wrong way around, sorry.
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Post by petea on Jun 16, 2022 6:21:21 GMT
I always do too, and forget to reverse it every time!
I think this fits into the 'progressive blue-grass' style occupied by the likes of Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers and many of the other projects in which Chris Thiele and his contemporaries are involved and even the like of Larkin Poe.
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Post by Barrington on Jun 20, 2022 9:03:26 GMT
Played it twice as I always do , sounds very good , well recorded and that's it for me , not my thing , I found it boring .
Vote , Nice background music ? maybe , Make it stop ? no not that bad , somewhere in-between but I'll give it 2/5 as it sounds so good .
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 20, 2022 12:22:30 GMT
I couldn't get into this either and didn't get very far at all I'm afraid - this style of 'earnest' singer / songwriter for some reason leaves me unmoved.
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Post by ChrisB on Jun 29, 2022 9:15:44 GMT
Quite good sounding, but I felt it was a little uninvolving so I took the hint from the middle score - "needs another play".
I ended up doing that several times over, but it never became more engaging to my ears, even after a little familiarity set in.
I stuck with that middle ranking score as a nod to musicianship and sound quality on the recording.
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Post by MikeMusic on Feb 11, 2023 10:45:46 GMT
Sorry, this one escaped me
The vocals are quite good, especially considering I'm a fan of very few female vocalists
Love the violin and cello, not keen on the occasional percussion
I'll be happy listening to more of her music
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