Angie
and the Deserters – Stay
Angie
and the Deserters’ new single, “Stay”, further illustrates the strength of the
band’s EP release You. This intelligently written and elegiac number has the
sort of instrumental excellence we’ve been led to expect from this singer and
collection of musician alongside the same emotive energy defining everything
they touch. The center of everything, of course, is Angie Bruyere’s vocals.
This is the sort of singing you are born with and can never teach. Bruyere’s
voice wrings every drop of yearning in the lyric and fills the lines with
tangible, down-on-her-heels gravitas. She has the sharp instincts for never
over singing Instead, Bruyere reveals herself once again as a vocalist who
mightily labors to bring her singing in accord with the musical arrangement so
that the final seamless effect makes for an even more complete song. “Stay” has
the sort of production that brings all of these intangibles into an impressive
work of musical and vocal art.
The
artful touch with this song is evident from the first seconds on. It begins
with a bit of a flourish courtesy of acoustic guitar and mandolin, but fiddle
soon rises from the mix and establishes itself as the song’s dominant
instrument outside of Bruyere’s singing. It weaves a delicate path across the
face of the song and meshes in quite well with the straight-ahead nature of the
remaining instrumental work. “Stay” conjures a lot of magic with a relatively
limited sonic palate, but it is so gently threaded together that it might elude
some listeners just how difficult it is to bring off such an intimate feel.
Each of the players must be attentive and tuned in with their musical partners;
there’s little question that Angie Bruyere and her band clear that bar with
ample room to spare.
Her
voice works quite well with the instruments. Rather than singing against the
playing and trying to create some dramatic tension, Bruyere wisely opts to
bring the vocal melody and her phrasing completely in line with the band’s
playing. The violin parts, in particular, match up with her extraordinarily
well and make for a formidable musical pairing. Another critical factor in
whether this song lives or dies on the vine is when she chooses to sing and let
silence or the music speak for her instead. Her choices in this area never miss
on “Stay”. She takes advantage of every musical high point and treats the
song’s valleys with the same astute judgment. It creates a total listening
experience for her audience and never over-indulges to flatter the performer’s
ego. “Stay” is one of the best tracks
from an EP that exhibits more talent in a restricted space than even most long
time musical veterans can dream of. Releasing this as a single isn’t
representative of the assortment of styles she calls on to make the EP so
satisfying, but it is representative of her finesse and spirit. This is a song
that will grow on you more and more with each new listen.
Shannon
Cowden
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