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Wilderness Plots Review in Singout Magazine
October 2nd, 2007
by by Rich Warren
Krista Detor, Tim Grimm, Carrie Newcomer Tom Roznowski and Michael White: Wilderness Plots
Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, Autumn, 2007 by Rich Warren
KRISTA DETOR, TIM GRIMM, CARRIE NEWCOMER, TOM ROZNOWSKI AND MICHAEL WHITE Wilderness Plots Rosehill 111
If Edgar Lee Masters had been a singer-songwriter rather than poet and attorney, he might have created Wilderness Plots instead of the Spoon River Anthology. Except Wilderness Plots takes place a few decades earlier than Spoon River and mostly about 200 miles east of it. In order to understand the CD Wilderness Plots it's essential to understand its genesis. Singer-songwriter Tim Grimm came across a small book full of very short stories, each based on at least a kernel of history, part truth, part folktale. He immediately saw songs in them and took the book to his songwriting group, who each wrote songs based on stories in the book. That group, Krista Detor, Tim Grimm, Carrie Newcomer, Tom Roznowski and Michael White wrote and recorded the 19-song CD Wilderness Plots. There isn't a single bad song here, the material is good to brilliant. Similarly, the performances and production range from very good to superb. While I am quite familiar with Grimm and Newcomer, both of whom shine on this project, I am astounded by Detor's contributions and surprised that I had not previously heard of her. In many cases the artists sing duets or harmonies with each other further enriching the recording. In all cases the accompaniment is simple and mainly folk oriented. Each character in song stands unique from the others. By the end of the over 60-minute CD you feel the period when these people may have walked the earth in the late pioneer to established settler era in the eastern Midwest. If I had to pick one song from the album, Detor's "Aurora Means Dawn" sung as a duet with Grimm is riveting and heart grabbing. Grimm's "Frostbite On The Soul" has a great bouncy, bluegrass-style setting while telling the story of a circuit riding preacher and his fate with a bit of sorrow add a bit of humor. Newcomer's timeless "Healing Waters" relates the travels of a medicine show proprietor and his effect on the population, until he finally reaches an epiphany. While each song here is a gem unto itself, the recording demands to be heard at least once in a single sitting. If you're looking for something different and special, plan to spend some time with four outstanding contemporary singer-songwriters and 19 people from over a century ago.
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