Review: Charlie Moses Takes Listener on Intimate Journey with ‘Daffodil’
Charlie Moses, née Carolyn Grigar, who in the recent past has collaborated with bdRm (producer Jeremy Wilkins) on the stunning How to Ask for Help EP, has graced listeners with a new solo effort of 10 shimmering tunes that are just her and her guitar. The collection, an LP entitled Daffodil, will be released on July 15th through the No Movement label.
Carolyn’s vocal style is flawless on all tracks. Her style puts me in the mind of Billie Holiday, with her honey-sweet voice over a pleasing Les Paul guitar, which perfectly showcases her channeled vocals. The result is the perfect album for chilling out, and is an anthem for the Pacific Northwest life we are fortunate enough to be able to live. She is in Portland, the operator of one of the city’s premier coffee houses; the music is perfectly suited to that type of venue.
The album is comprised of 7 brand-spanking-new tracks, as well as a reworking of three titles from the Ask EP, “Done Deal,” a haunting exploration of an exploitative relationship that has come to an end in the singer’s mind (“…You thought you thought it fine/You thought, oh, this feels good/You thought you’d get more time with me…”), made even more haunting with the spare rendition of solely vocalist and guitar, “Judy,” and “Won’t You Wait,” a song about a relationship where the two partners grow, but out of sync with one another (“…I know it’s getting so late/Your mind, it changed/You’re on your way…”).
The newest tracks bridge a gamut of joy (“Rock-A-Way”) to more bittersweet fare (“Daffodil,” the title track) to general celebrations of a life well-lived (“Well Respected Man”). Every track is delivered with the smoky sweetness of the artist’s unique vocal styling accompanied by guitar alone, adding to the intimate nature of the album.
(Mark 15 July 2016 on your calendar and snap this up. You won’t regret it! You can pre-order the album at charliemoses.bandcamp.com/album/daffodil, and stream the advanced track “Schatzi” below.)
